Harper's Island: Little Sister Intervention
by Lilacc
Summary: Come to Harper's Island to celebrate the wedding of Trish Wellington and Henry Dunn! It's going to be one week of pure fun. Too bad they forgot to add the fight for survival that would ensue... Follow this wedding from hell through Jamie Mance's eyes.
1. Memories

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

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**Chapter the First –**_** Memories**_

I was late. I looked down at my watch and saw that I was more than 20 minutes late. Abby was going to kill me! I asked the cab driver to go a little faster, and he grunted something under his breath and just gave me the evil eye. Well I couldn't care less about his mood; all I wanted was to get to my friend.

We had taken the same flight, but I had to make a small detour, to pick up the wedding gift I had ordered in a small store in downtown Seattle, while she came straight from the airport.

As we reach a traffic jam, I muse at everything that happened in the past seven years of my life. I mean, I was born in Harper's Island, to Marilyn and Hank Mance, the younger sister of Jimmy. Who knew little Jamie Mance, would, one day, become a doctor living in Los Angles?

That is the only good thing that came with the Wakefield killings, it gave me perspective. I realized how small that island really was, and that I needed to change.

Seven years ago, a maniac by the name John Wakefield, came to the island and killed six people. One of them was Abby's mom. My friend never recovered.

She left the very next day, breaking my brother's heart in the process. I should hate her, like Shane, but I couldn't. I knew how much it cost to lose a mother, and she had the added fact that her mother was **murdered** and that **she** found the body. I understand and so did my brother.

I still remember the day I told him and dad that I had won a full scholarship to Stanford University. Jimmy was stunned but my dad… he was furious. He yelled, he threatened, he even tried to hit me, but Jimmy stopped him, of course. I just packed up my bag and left. I still hear his words in my head…

"_If you dare to walk out that door__, I swear on your mother's grave that you'll never come back... You'll be dead to me!" He yelled at me._

"_If you can't understand and be happy for me then I don't want to be your daughter anymore, __**Hank**__." I snapped. He wouldn't change my mind. No one would._

_So, with my small bag on my back and a bigger one in my hands, I left the Mance household. Jimmy came after me._

"_Jamie. Jamie! Please stop." I didn't budge. "Damn it, Jay, stop right there." Jay was the nickname our mom gave me when I was younger. He knew not to use it. I stopped and turned to him, angry. _

"_What? "_

"_Jesus Jamie, stop for a second and think things through. He's not kidding. I know what we have is not much, but it's better than nothing."_

_I sighed and dropped my bags. My brother was giving me a pleading stare. _

"_I did, Jimmy. I've been thinking things through for __**one whole**__ year. I want to get off this island; I want to see the world; I want to be someone not just some fisherman's wife." I said with a slight sneer in my voice. A look of pain flashed across Jimmy's eyes at my harsh words, but if it made him understand my point of view, then so be it. _

_After a pregnant pause he just looked at me sadly and hugged me._

"_Okay. I didn't know you felt this way. You should have said something… I would've understood it. You know I would."_

"_I… I was just… I'm sorry Jimmy."_

"_Nah, don't be. Just promise me you won't forget me, okay?"_

_The tears were flooding my eyes. I was going to miss him **so**_ _much. He was my big brother, my protector, my friend, I adore him. How could I be thinking about leaving? Especially after Abby, he never recovered from her absence and now I was making him lose another person he loved. I should stay._

_I think he saw my internal battle, because he picked up my big bag and put one arm around my shoulders, as he took me to the pier, where the boat was waiting to take me to mainland._

_On the way there he kept my mind busy with his warnings and advices. By the time we got to the pier I was laughing my ass off at some of the things he was saying. I was sad cause I was gonna leave him but I was relieved that he at least was on my side on this thing. But just as we were saying goodbye he asked me the one question I really didn't want to answer._

"_Wait a minute. It's still early, you won't be designated a room in the dorm for another three weeks where are you going to stay?"_

"_I'll be staying with a friend." I hoped that would satisfy him. _

"_What friend?" _

_Guess not._

_I took a deep breath. He would be mad, worse, he would be hurt. You see, after Abby left, she never called anyone in Harper's Island… but me. She gave me her number and address and begged me not to tell anything to Jimmy. She put me in between a rock and hard place, he was my brother, she, my good friend. In the end she won, because she only wanted to know how Jimmy was faring, and I didn't want her to lose anything else. So I kept it to myself, I hide the fact that I knew were she was. _

_But now I had to tell him because he would never let me leave without telling him where I would be staying. So, in a little voice I answered, "Abby."_

"_What! Are you crazy? You don't know where she is, how you can be …"_

_I think he must have seen something in my face because he didn't finish. Instead he said, "You know were she is." It wasn't a question._

_His voice was cold, hard, like I never heard him using on me. I looked at him and just nodded. He turned his back on me and I was about to say something, when he sharply turned, almost makin me crash against him, "How long?"_

_At first I didn't understand the question so Jimmy clarified._

"_For __**how long**__ have you been in contact with her?"_

_I lowered my head and uttered, "Almost a year."_

_He said nothing, just looked at me with those big brown eyes filled with something I had never seen directed to me: disappointment. I wanted to say something, explain and maybe defend my actions. Instead I just stood there and watched him turn his back on me and leave. I felt a tear running down my face but didn't even bother to clean it up; I knew there were more to come. _

The sound of a horn brought me out of that memory, and the line moved a bit, only to stop again. The memories pulled my right back in.

_I landed on LAX some hours later, having already cried all the tears I had and ready to start my new life. Abby was there waiting for me. She then took me to that small studio she had and we spent the night talking. _

_For the next three weeks I tried to call home everyday. Everytime my dad or brother picked up the phone they disconnected right after. I was getting antsy and worried. What if something happens to dad or to Jimmy? I would never forgive myself for not being there._

_Finally, after three excruciating weeks of no news, I managed to talk to someone, though it was neither dad nor Jimmy. It was none other than Shane Pierce._

"_Shorty! How's the big city treating you?" he never called by my name, only by that stupid nickname he got me when I was little. I never confessed to him, but I kinda like it. Of course when I was younger it used to drive me mad._

"_Fine, Shane. What about them? Is everything alright?" Worry laced my words._

"_As good as they can be, under the circumstances." __He paused and I knew the recrimination shouldn't be far off. But Shane seemed to change his mind. "Jimmy and I landed a job today." _

_My mind was a racing a mile a minute. What kind of a job could they possibly have found on the island? When it dawned on me what the job probably was, I started cursing. To which Shane just laughed, obviously._

"_Don't let your brother hear those words, Shorty. Who knew you had such a foul mouth?"_

"_Shane what job did you and Jimmy got?"_

"_You know, on a boat." His voice was quite sombre._

"_NO! Jimmy has such a potential why the hell does he have to follow in __**Hank's **__footsteps?" I said spiting my father's name like it was some sort of disease. _

"_You know, Shorty, everyone has a right to make their own decisions..."_

_Finally we were getting somewhere. "Just say it already, Shane, I know you want it."_

"_Why did you have to go? Jimmy needed you.__** I**_ _needed you." There was so much pain in his voice, which made me wince all those miles away. Shane Pierce hated to discuss his feelings, so that could only mean that he was really hurt. And that was all my making. My god, what's wrong with me? How can I hurt so many people? _

_I must've spaced out for quite a bit before Shane's voice brought me out of my self loathing, "Hey Shorty? Are you still there?"_

"_I'm still here, Shane." I answered in a meek voice. There were so many things I wanted to say. The only that got out was an apology, "I'm sorry." _

_I truly was. But not for going away, just for the way I handled everything. If I were to be honest with myself I knew that all this came as a shock to everyone. My brother was right, I should've told him something. Should've vent to someone. Instead I kept it all to myself, putting up a front that everything was fine when it wasn't true. I've thrown a curve ball at everyone and hit every single one of the people I loved._

"_I know you are. But you better be a damn good doctor or else I might be tempted to go there to kick your ass. And don't worry about him. I got his back until your safe return. And his stubbornness is breaking already. He'll be talking to you in no time. Bye, Shorty. Behave." The care in his words was unmistakable._

_I smiled. I knew everything would be fine now, "Thanks Shane. Bye."_

Shane had been right. By the next time I called, Jimmy was the one who answer my phone call, and while he hadn't been the warm, caring brother I was used to, he was nice enough.

The line moved a little bit further. I could now see the sea at the distance. I should be getting very close. The big boat that would be taking the wedding party to Harper's Island should be just around the corner. Of course that leads me to yet another memory…

_Spring break of my__ second year at Stanford University was one of the best of my entire life. Abby convince me to go spend those weeks with Henry Dunn, her best friend from growing up. I didn't really wanted to go, but she annoyed me until I accepted her proposal. So, three days before the official beginning of Spring break, Abby and I hit the road to Washington State University._

_We caught the big end of semester blow out. Abby just smiled and said I had been cooped in my dorm room for far too long, that I need to have some fun. And there was this smile in her face, a peaceful one. I liked this Abby; it reminded me of the one from before. _

_As we got closer to the frat house we were accosted by several boys. We just smiled and moved along. And, as we were laughing, my eyes caught a pair of blue ones. _

_They belonged to this gorgeous guy. He was clearly a frat boy, and judging by the quantity of girls he had around him, I would say he was a player. He was tall, not that strongly built, but toned enough, with dirty blond hair in a spiked style, and a smirk adorning his face. _

_As he was coming in our direction Abby pulled me towards the entrance of the frat house, and by the time I looked back at him, he had disappeared. I frowned briefly at my best friend, but followed her nonetheless. When my friend yelled and started to frantically wave her arms I looked in that direction and saw four guys. _

_I recognized Henry Dunn immediately, he was taller and bigger since the last time I saw him, but he had that same goofy grin and warm eyes. Next to him was a young African-American boy that I deduced was Danny. He was cute and had an easy smile in his face. The other two I wasn't sure, after all they were suppose to be five of them, not four. _

_I followed Abby and watch as Henry hugged and lifted her off the ground and then passed her to the other three guys with several shouts of "ABBNER" in their midst. _

_I laughed and that made them turn their eyes to me. My mirth instantly vanished. Henry was the first to approach me, "Hi Jamie, how's everything going?"_

_With a smile I answered, "Great Henry, it's nice to see you, it's been so long."_

"_Yeah, but we'll have time to catch up later. Now it's time to do some introductions." He put an arm around my shoulders, turned me to his friends and I noticed a new addiction to the group: Blue Eyes. The guy was talking and laughing with Abby in a way that demonstrated closeness. _

"_Guys, you all know Abby Mills." Henry said pointing to my brunette friend who had a smile on her lips. "Now let me introduced you to Jamie Mance. She's also from Harper's Island. And she's not legal enough to drink yet, so no beer for her got it Sully?" He joked._

_I pouted and they all laughed._

"_So this is Danny" He indicated the dark skinned boy, whom smiled and waved. "That's Booth" This boy was a brunette with glasses and a very nervous look on his face. But he too, smiled and waved. "That big guy over there is Malcolm" When the boy didn't say anything, because his eyes were glued to a girl dancing around, Henry passed to the final boy, Blue Eyes, "And finally, the last but not the least, Sully" The blond smirked rather than smiled and gave me a once over. _

_Danny and Henry both gave him foul looks, but he just ignored them. As I got closer to him, I just repaid him in the same way, checking him out. Abby laughed the same as the others. That made an even bigger smirk appear on his face and he grabbed my hand and kissed it, softly. Then, turning to the lot of them, he said, "Now this is my kind of a girl. Where have you bee hiding her, Abbner?" I was elated. _

_As the night progressed our big group split into smaller ones. Henry and Abby were dancing and laughing. Malcolm and Booth were at the sole pool table. And I was left at a table with Danny and Sully playing some sort of drinking game with some of the boy's friends._

_Some time later I was already a little tipsy. My inhibitions had flown out the window and I was openly flirting with Sully as well as Danny. I was in the process of explaining, to the two clearly amused boys, why I thought Danny would look better with longer, braided hair when the smile was wiped out of his face. I frowned and followed is eyes to Henry, who was also frowning. From there I looked to the door and saw the cause of the sudden tension in the room was a petite and beautiful brunette. _

_She was looking rather contrite as she caught sight of Henry and I wonder if she was the girlfriend, Trish, which had recently broken up with him. Then I noticed Sully's eyes were fixed on her. When she noticed his stare she smiled and waved, right before disappearing from our line of sight. _

_I decided then and there I didn't really liked Trish Wellington._

As my taxi gained some more ground on the big line I wonder if I was going to survive this wedding. The only things making me strong were the facts that I was there to show my support to Abby and to see my brother Jimmy.

His name brought both a smile and a tear to my face as I recalled the last time we had been on the island together, about four years ago…

_Sully and I were fighting__, __**again**__. It seemed that's what our relationship was all about, that and of course, making up with heated make out sessions. _

_That summer our group decided to spend some time together. So Sully and I were close, like really close, and the attraction was there. Had been there since the first time we had met. But he was a player, just like I suspected, and the fact that he couldn't keep his eyes off Trish, even after she and Henry had been together again, was really starting to bug me. And of course Trish had some friends over, which broadened his horizons and put me in a foul mood. He couldn't make up his mind and I wasn't the type of girl that shares._

_My cell phone had died somewhere in that first week and so Jimmy had trouble finding me. The call came when we were all in the pool. The maid came out, holding the telephone, but I didn't really pay any attention to her. Danny was trying to get me so he could dunk me, but I was faster than him. Sully was giving us the death glare while Abby looked disapprovingly to me. She had warned me of Danny's interest, but I was so mad at Sully that I shut her out. Even though, I knew what I was doing was wrong. _

_Then the maid called my name and everyone fell silent. I was just stunned. Who could possibly call me at Trish's house phone? I felt a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and all but run to her._

"_This is Jamie Mance. Who's this?"_

"_Jay…" That was Jimmy's voice. Something was wrong. I could hear it in his voice._

"_What's wrong Jimmy? Are you hurt? Is Shane hurt?" When he accepted none of those hypotheses I felt a lump in my throat. Dad… "What's wrong with dad?"_

"_He died." The phone slipped from my hands. _

_I didn't hear Abby's concerned tone; I didn't respond to Henry's queries; I didn't saw Sully flying to my side, beating Danny to it; I didn't hear Jimmy's worried cries on the other side of the line. I just kept repeating my brother's words in my head in an endless loop_.

_**He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died. He died.**_

_I felt the tears in my face seconds before I lost my balance. I fell onto a broad chest and just cried. I was full blown sobbing when I felt arms slip around my shaking form and carry me inside. _

"_He died" I whisper to Sully who had me in a towel as soon as he dropped me in the living's room couch. _

"_Dad died." He holds me to him and allows me to cry all over his shirt, making shushing sounds and whispering nothings in my ears. I fell asleep on him._

_When I woke up, Abby was with me. She told me how Trish had offered her family chopper to take me to Harper's Island. That Henry had spoken to Jimmy who had informed him about the burial date. I nodded and then drift off to sleep land, again._

_When the next morning arrived I was numb. I had cried last night so much I didn't know if I still had tears left. But as I saw my friends and heard there sympathies I felt my eyes fill up with water again. It wasn't surprised that Abby wasn't coming. I knew she had seen enough funerals in the island; she didn't need to see another. The big surprise came when Henry, Trish, Danny and Sully all boarded the helicopter with me. _

"_Thank you." That was the only thing I could say. Sully came to my side and held me for the entire trip home. Kissing my temple every once in a while. _

_As soon as we landed I ran to my brother. We just stood there, hugging, for the longest time. He looked older, much older than his 22 years. His grey orbs were sunken in; he had bags under his eyes and was pale. I felt like crying all over again. I should have been here for him. Instead I was miles away playing with the rich kids. I wanted to kick myself._

"_It's not your fault. You couldn't have done anything. The cancer was far too spread. He…He didn't even told me. He just… accepted his sickness." Jimmy said, as if he could hear my thoughts._

"_I should've been here for you, for both of you."_

_He pressed his lips to my forehead, "Take my word for it Jay. It wasn't your fault."_

"_Yeah Shorty, it's not your fault your old man was stubborn."_

_I turned around and saw Shane Pierce standing near us. I ran to him and hugged him just as much as I had my brother. After a few minutes I heard someone clear his throat. I turned and saw Sully, a strange look on his face._

_I introduced everyone and returned to my brother's side. From the moment they met, Sully and Shane didn't get along. They even fought once, just before the funeral, Danny and Henry separated them but they kept glaring at each other. _

_The funeral was simple and quiet. The people from town, my friends and my brother and that were it. When it ended I looked at my brother._

"_You were right, Jimmy. What we had wasn't much but it was better than nothing. We don't have anyone left."_

"_Wrong sis, we still have each other. I promise you'll never lose me."_

_As I cried harder, I said, "You can't promise that! Dad said the same thing after mom's funeral and look at him now." I ran then. I didn't want to be around anyone. I just wanted to be left alone. _

I was jolted aware as the driver finally found an opening and sped up in the direction of the pier. He parked just beside another cab and I smiled as I saw my friend inside. She had a faraway look on her face, while holding the wedding invitation. I paid him, got my bags out, and walked toward her taxi.

"So, are we having second thoughts? We could always go back home and stuff our face with Rocky Mountain ice cream." I said, offering, hoping she would accept.

Abby gave me her thousand watts smile and payed the cabbie, getting out of the car and retrieving her bags from the trunk. "Nope, we're going. I can't to that to Henry. Besides I have to go back and face my fears, don't I? Isn't that what you're always preaching?"

I cursed myself and just accompanied my best friend down the pier to the ferry that was very merrily decorated. A mariachi band was playing and then we saw Henry leaning in the railing, smiling down at us.

He hugged both of us and then turned his attention to Abby.

"I thought you might never get out of that cab!" I smirked at her from over his shoulder.

"Huh, I…I needed a moment."

Showing a great understanding of Abby, he said knowingly, "Second thoughts?"

"I told her the same thing." As she glared at me, she forgot to answer Henry's question which gave time to Trish make an appearance.

"I told him you'd come." Her smile was beautiful. She then looked at me. "Hi Jamie." I was happy she gave me even that. We we're not the best of friends.

As she and Abby hugged I followed them all inside, trying no to look too nervous. This would be the first time I would seem **him** after that night…

_It was pouring out. I wrapped the jacket tighter around me, although my shaking had little to do with the cold and everything to do with the boy that I had left in that apartment, holding my broken heart in his hands._

_I could remember vividly every moment of our relationship. The first time we locked eyes outside his fraternity; the first kiss we shared; our first fight… I recalled the happiness of seeing him came to me, after months without seeing each other, hug me, and spin me in the air, while I giggled like a school girl. The way his strong arms felt around me, the taste of his kisses and the feel of his touches. His smile…_

_And then flashes of everytime I had been mad at him flooded my mind much like the rain was doing to my body. There was always another girl, always someone in between us. He had hurt me before, but not like this. __**Never **__like this._

_I was so distracted that I didn't hear him call my name. Only when a hand closed around my arm and pulled me against a drenched body did I look up into those blue eyes of his and saw something akin to guilt in them._

_But I was angry. More than that, I was furious so I punched him, hard, just like Shane had taught me all those years ago. Sully opened his mouth to say something but I advanced on him until I was practically on top of him._

"_Don't. Save it. I don't want to hear it. I don't want your excuses. What you did… you hurt me Sully, more than I've ever been hurt. I never want to see you again. I'm done with you. I don't want to see you ever again."_

_With that I left, the tears mixing with the rain, and I never looked back. _

I was brought back to earth when Danny hugged me. I smiled and hugged him back. It felt good to be with him again. Booth and Malcolm hugged me as well. And then I was face to face with Sully.

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Author's note: I hope you enjoyed it.


	2. Back Home

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

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**Chapter the Second – **_**Back Home**_

I held my breath. There was something in his eyes, something that beckoned me. So I steeled myself before speaking and, formally, almost mechanically, said, "Sully."

"Jamie." His voice was also void of emotion, but his eyes betrayed him.

I turned away from him to see Abby giving me an odd look. I looked away, only to find Henry giving me the same exact look. I shook my head and decided to try to mingle. As I'm leaving, I heard Sully saying, as a toast, "Here's to us… hooking up to all of them!" followed by the groomsmen cheers and the bridesmaid's laughs. Oh, this was so **not** going to be worth it.

After some time I found myself in a quiet place on the second floor, near the rear of the boat. I heard the horn and saw the bubbles of the propellers. I was distracted from the water as someone dropped beside me.

"So, you're going to tell me?"

I looked at the sea again, before I spoke, "Tell you what?" I said, trying to sound casual.

"Why you're giving Sully the cold shoulder. I mean I know you two had a fall out of some sort, but I never imagine it was this serious."

Turning to the petite brunette I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Come on, I've seen you two fight before! It was always big and loud. You could see the anger but also spot the passion between you. But that back there? That was completely different, a whole new level, a deeper one."

"I don't wanna talk about it Abbs." Trying to distract my friend, I pointed to Henry. "Go talk to your best friend, looks like he needs it." To tell the truth he **was **looking rather miffed. She recognized my move but accepted it nonetheless. She knew I could be very stubborn when I wanted.

As I mingled in the upper deck, voices from downstairs floated up to me.

"Don't mix best friend with best man. Best…" I shut his voice as soon as I heard it.

Then a second one rises, and I could tell it belonged to a girl. As soon as I heard the name John Wakefield I looked all around me, worried that Abby would have the bad luck to hear any of it.

I marched downstairs then, to give those girls a piece of my mind. There were three of them. I recognized Beth, which was Trish's college roommate, Lucy Daramour, a socialite like the bride, and the last one, the one speaking, was some girl I never saw.

"You should stop right about now."

All three pairs of eyes zeroed in me. The speaker looked up at me as if sizing me up. I held her stare.

"And why is that?"

"Because, there are certain things in life that are meant to be left alone… and **this** is one of them." She opened her mouth to protest, but I didn't let her finish, "To you that's just a **story**… some source of entertainment. But that man you seem so fascinated with was a murderer that killed six people and destroyed six families. He's a monster. And Abby suffered enough without having to endure your jibes. So don't even think about telling her anything about that. Are we clear?"

The girls seemed stunned. The tension in the air was palpable but was cut by the landing of a seagull in their plates. They screamed and I jumped.

I lost my footing and I almost took a dive. I closed my eyes and expected the fall when a pair of arms caught me. I opened my eyes to find Sully holding me, an expression of worry in his eyes. I recovered and stepped away from him. For a second it seemed he wanted to say something, but he lost his nerve and backed away to his friends. I caught Danny eyes and smiled. He smiled back and shook his head slightly. I then went in search of Abby.

We were already docking when I found her. She was giving such an unsure look at the island that made me think she was going to return to Seattle with the ferry, "Hey Abby, come on. It's going to be a week of pure fun."

"Yeah I can just imagine!" Her tone was heavy with sarcasm.

"Party-pooper." I said as I started to get off the boat, Abby standing close.

"Brat." Abby said, a mischievous smile on her face.

I was so distracted that I almost missed him. He was in his full fisherman's gear, with that bright smile on his face, against the pier pillar. But his eyes were not on me, they were focused on Abby.

"Abby Mills…"

She smiled, "Hi Jimmy."

He then goes after her, completely forgetting about me... his own sister. Can you believe that?

"Hey. I knew someday you'd come back to me."

I smirked at his words and stood back to watch the exchange between my best friend and my big brother.

"And I knew you'd be here."

"Oh yeah? And how's that?"

"I could smell you from the mainland."

I laughed at that and he spares me a look. A smile adorning his lips that tells me he isn't about to let her have the last word.

"So that's how it's gonna be huh, big city girl now. So, uh, I changed too you know?"

That got my attention. Where was he going with this?

"Oh yeah? The hat or the blouse?"

"I'm married now." Jimmy said.

"WHAT?" I yelled. He turned to both of us with a very serious expression on his face.

Abby stopped, turned and said, "You're such a liar."

After a few second of maintaining a straight face he smiled and agreed, "Yeah, yeah. You're right." He took his left glove then and showed a bare hand. I sighed in relief and hit his arm, lightly.

"Never play like this again. I'll kill you! I'm serious!"

He just laughed and hugged me. I saw Abby smile before going towards the cars that would take the guests to the Candlewick Inn. He let go of me and yelled to her retreating form, "Hey Abby? Welcome home."

"It's just a visit!" She says waving him goodbye without even looking back at him.

Then he turned to me smiling and hugging me all over again.

"That's quite enough old brother."

"Old brother? I'm not that old!"

"Well, seeing as how you forgot who I was for my first minutes on this island..." I said, teasing him.

He looked sheepishly at me and I could've sworn he blushed. I then took my time analysing my brother. He was looking much better than the last time I had seen him here. There was colour in his cheeks; his eyes were alive and bright, not as sunken in and he was actually smiling. I liked seeing Jimmy like this.

"So where's Shane? Why didn't he come to welcoming me?" I said a tad too snippy, making my brother laugh.

"Around," he says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Figures."

"So where are you going to stay?" He asks as he helps me take my bag up.

"At the Candlewick Inn."

"Hey! I prepared your room back at my place. You've got to stay with me."

I smile at his vehemence, "Sorry bro, but per the groom's insistence I'll stay there. It'll be easier to attend all the fancy activities that way."

He was still pouting, "Then at least let me drive you."

As he finished saying this we got to the parking lot, to find it empty of the cars Henry said he had rented to take the guests.

"Well I guess I don't have much of a choice in that matter. Let's go."

"Seems like someone forgot about you little sis." He said playfully, smirking at me.

That shouldn't have bothered me. But it did. I mean, I knew I didn't fit in with Trish's friends. I didn't have their money or their high society savvy. Henry and I weren't really close, and the strongest bond I had to his merry band had been severed when I cut Sully out of my life. But damn it, I **had **been invited to this wedding. Only to be abandoned like this, it stung.

Jimmy brought me out of my musings asking, "So how's that boyfriend of yours. Sully, isn't?" His tone was less than happy.

I stiffened. I hadn't told him about that night, "He's not my boyfriend. Never was."

He gave me a funny look, but I distracted him by engaging in a different conversation altogether. We where getting close to the Candlewick, when we spotted two lone figures in the road. It was Abby and Henry.

"Abby, Henry, do you guys want a lift?" I said from my open window.

"Sure." Said Abby and Henry followed suit.

In the car Jimmy and Henry traded pleasantries while Abby gazed outside the window, a pensive look in her face. As soon as the truck stopped Henry got off. Abby and I shared a look and a smile and she too, followed her best friend while I was left to say goodbye to Jimmy.

He stared at Abby's retreating figure and shouted, "You're welcome!"

I heard her laugh and resume her talk with Henry Dunn.

"You know that's not the way to her heart, right?

He turned to me, his eyes alive with mischief, "Don't worry sis, I know what I'm doing."

I doubted that very much so, but gave up.

"Sure you do. Well, it's your funeral, so consider yourself warned."

"Just go, before they forget to give you a room."

I slapped his arm but followed his advice. I caught up with Abby as she was being hugged by Maggie Krell. When she finally let my friend go, after telling her how a beautiful girl she had turned out to be, she spotted me.

Maggie had been like a mother to me and Jimmy. She had been our mother's best friend. When mum passed away Maggie had been there for us and I cared for her deeply.

"Oh my god! Is that you, Jay?" She had also adopted mum's nickname for me, even though she only started reusing it when I left the island to pursue my dream of becoming a physician.

"Yup, in the flesh. How's everything going Maggie?"

"Much better now that you're here, my dear. But I have some business to attend with the groom and bride. We'll catch up later. It's very good to see you again."

With that she kissed my cheeks, soundly, and then all but dragged Henry to Trish and then both of them to somewhere inside, talking a mile a minute. I laughed at the look on their faces and then made my way to the reception to get my room key.

As I was getting close to the room, I saw the blonde girl from the boat getting in her room, after having been smacked in her rear by her shorter boyfriend. When I saw my room was just adjacent to theirs I groaned. For a fancy inn like the Candlewick, the walls were still thin as paper, which could only mean trouble for my sleeping patterns if they were to get frisky with each other every other night.

I sighed and decided that a bubble bath was in order. While I was soaking in the rose scented water, my cell phone rang. 'Leave Out All the Rest' played until the chorus and then whoever was calling me, disconnected the call. I put a towel around me and went to see who had called me. It was Abby.

"What's up, Abby?"

"Nothing… I was just kinda hoping you could… swing by my room before going downstairs."

I noticed her nervousness and accepted at once. She gave me her room number and I went to get ready. My suitcase was open on top of the bed. Various items were already spread in the room. I gathered some underwear and my black halter top dress, which I had purchased in a small boutique in downtown L.A. After getting dressed and applying my make-up I left the room, locking the door behind me. Abby's room was on the second floor, so I descended the stairs and knocked on her door. She opened and almost pulled me inside.

There were small bottles on the table and my friend had a weak smile adorning her face. She was so comical, in her pretty red dress and so nervous I didn't resist laughing.

"Are you sure about this? You really want to drink **before **the party?"

She just nodded eagerly, "It's the only way I'm gonna have some fun. I need to. For Henry…"

I shook my head at her words. Typical, she wants to have fun **just **because of Henry Dunn. She would do anything for him. I shook my head and went to get one of the bottles.

After we knocked some drinks, we went downstairs. I wasn't as tipsy as she was, but my balance was still affected. The bar was busy when we got there. Most of the tables were already occupied and people were already distributed by their little groups. As Abby and I watched people milling around, Malcolm spotted us. Booth and Danny turned immediately to us.

Abby took notice of Malcolm's indications and went to Henry, leaving me there, alone. I wasn't sure were to go, and was about to turn around and leave, when a warm hand caught mine. I was afraid to look and see who it was, until I got a glimpse of dark skin. I sighed in relief. It was just Danny.

"You look beautiful."

I blushed. I actually felt the heat in my cheeks, although I didn't know how much was because of his words, and how much was because of the alcohol already in my system.

"Well you're not bad yourself." It was true. He was looking pretty nice in his dark dress pants and coat.

"Come on… come sit with us."

I felt him tug on my hand but I didn't move. Sully chose that moment to glance in our direction. I shook my head vehemently.

"You two need to talk, to get everything straight." He sounded annoyed but there was also a small hint of pleading in his voice.

My green eyes clashed with the boy in question blue ones.

"There's nothing to talk about, Danny."

He shook his head. We went to bar catch up. We talked, we laughed and we played with each other. An hour had gone by when Booth came to us and called Danny away. He smiled, kissed the hand he hadn't let go for all that time, and promised he would be right back.

Only he wasn't. The time dragged on as I watched the people around me have fun, although people watching was on of my favourite pastime, doing so in a party was kinda lame. I was supposed to have fun, instead here I sat, on a bar stool, watching other's have fun. Yup, definitely lame.

"What's such a pretty girl like you doing here, all alone?"

As soon as I turned to see who had engaged in a conversation with me, I wished I hadn't. He was every bit as awful as I thought he would be, and to make matters worse, he was drunk. I could feel it in his breath and hear it in his words. I wanted nothing more than to go away but, as I started to do just that he grabbed my arm.

"Hey where you going, beauty? I ain't done with you yet!"

"Take your hands off of me." I said in the most menacing tone I could muster. It wasn't much, I know, but that was simply because people usually mistake my small frame with an equally small will, which couldn't be more far from the truth. Then to my surprise he just laughed and closed the distance between us, making me endure his horrid alcohol filled breath.

"So you're one of those feisty ones, huh? Well I'm not complaining. I like my pussycats with their claws sharpened."

"I said: get your hands off of me!" Then he tried to kiss me. The last person who had made the mistake of try to kiss me, against my expressed permission, ended with a black eye. Except this time, it wasn't me that took care of that problem.

One minute the guy was closing the gap between us, the next he was being ripped off of my vicinity. Even drunk, the guy almost took me with him. I yelped at the way my arm was almost pulled off its socket, and ended up in the floor, landing on my butt. Thankfully, we were in the farthest part of the bar, and as I looked around, I realised most people didn't even acknowledge the scuffle.

When I looked up, to my saviour, I saw a pair of blue eyes filled with worry.

Part of me relished in the fact that it had been him the one to save me. The other part, the one that held my pride, hated that it had been him of all people. I said nothing, just picked myself off the floor and dusted my dress. When I finish the assessment of my clothes, he was still there.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

He was tentative, nervous.

"Yeah to the first… No to the second."

I turned to leave.

"You're welcome, you know." He shouted, his tone clearly one of annoyance.

"I didn't ask for your help, so why on earth should I thank you?"

"You know sometimes I wonder why I still bother."

"As if…" I was pissed now. "You never bothered with me before, why start now?"

"You know that's not true!" He got closer to me. He was trying to keep his temper in check. I could see it in the way his arm muscles twitched.

"Do I, now? They say actions speak louder than words. If that's true, then the only conclusion I can draw, from your actions in the past, is that you're bastard and a liar that never cared for **anyone** but **yourself**."

"I never lied to you."

That did it. The moment those words came out of his mouth, my hand flew to his face, hitting it.

"Do not… Never, **ever**, say that again."

With that I left him standing there, completely dumbfounded. How dare he? He never… He never **lied** to me? I was so completely beside myself that I didn't see Abby in my way and so I bumped her.

"Hey! Jamie? Is everything all right?"

No.

"Yes." She opened her mouth to ask me what was wrong, but I beat her to it and changed the subject. "Hey you're going out? Can I go? I need the fresh air."

She looked like she wanted to say something else but shut her mouth and just nodded. I smiled a small smile and just followed my best friend out.

* * *

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Drop me a review. I takes almost no time... ;)

Thanks to everyone that reviewed this and a special thanks to my beta, greasegurl!


	3. Fight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

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**Chapter the Third – **_**Fight**_

_Sully's Interlude_

After she stormed out he was left standing there, his mind reeling and his face stinging. Since when did people get hit by telling the truth? He shook his head and closed his eyes, suddenly not much interested in the rest of the party. All thanks to Jamie Mance. Damn her!

He thought about what got him in that mess in the first place...

_He was at his table, laughing with his buddies, minding his own business, when she walked in the room. And he just couldn't stop staring... _

_The dress she was wearing was black, which made a great contrast with her pale skin. She was looking rather flushed which told him she had a few drinks in her already. Her light brown locks were tied up in a simple ponytail, her favorite way of having it. She looked hot. Danny walked up to her and held her hand and he couldn't keep his jealousy from rearing its ugly head, making him turn his eyes away. Except he just couldn't keep his curiosity at bay, almost as if there was a part of him that was a masochist and couldn't keep sneaking glances at them._

_But he managed to forget about her, as he and the rest of the guys, minus Henry that was somewhere with his fiancée, were having fun. Danny had joined them a while ago when he saw it. There was a guy approaching Jamie, and from the sway of his body, it was obvious he was drunk. Sully grew anxious with their proximity. Then the guy had the audacity of manhandling her._

_He was out of his seat in the blink of an eye. Just before he got there, the bastard tried to kiss her. Sully saw red that instant, and ripped the guy away from her. She fell to the floor and the guy received a punch in the gut._

_So far so good, he thought. The guy scrambled away from them, the people around them didn't notice anything and she seemed all right. That is, until he lost his patience and allowed his temper to flare. And there was where everything had gone to hell._

"Hey, what happened?"

Sully turned around at the sound of one of his best friend's voice.

"Nothing." He answered.

"Yeah?" Danny said sounding unconvinced, "Then why did she slap you?"

Sully looked at the African-American boy he knew since college. While Danny knew a great lot, Sully knew that his friend didn't know **everything** that had gone down. Sighing he answered, "For telling the truth? I don't know." He dropped to a vacant seat in the bar, hunched over.

Danny seemed confused. "You mean for lying, right? I mean, no one gets slapped for telling the truth, man."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, apparently not anymore." Seeing the strange look he was receiving from Danny, he decided to put everything behind him and have some real fun, Jamie be damned. "The world has become a strange place, Danny. The rules have changed. Let's get piss drunk, shall we?"

"Hell yeah!"

_End of Sully's Interlude_

On the way to the Cannery the only thing I could think about was Sully's words. I couldn't believe he had said that! The worst was how I was feeling now... It was almost as if I was starting to believe in him! Tears prickled my eyes at the thought. He had hurt me **so **much and now, thanks to those 5 little words, I was actually getting confuse. Damn him!

"Want to tell me what got you thinking so hard? Maybe I can help."

Abby's voice startled me so much I actually stopped walking. When I looked around us I noticed where we were. Looking at Abby I said, "Sorry, it's nothing really. So, what are we doing at the Cannery?"

She shook her head and chuckled while we resumed our walking.

"We're here to see if JD came here. He wasn't at the party."

We were almost there when the wind picked up and the leaves around us rustled. Abby looked behind us suddenly, as if she had heard something in the wind. I looked in that same direction but saw nothing.

"Let's go in, it's getting windy out here." I said, sensing she was getting nervous.

As we got in I noticed how things hadn't change, except maybe the crowd. A couple years back this was the fisherman's hot place. Then the owner past away and his daughter, Nikki Bolton, took over turning this to the teen's hot spot, and I had to give it to her – this was pretty darn nice.

"Oh my god, Abby!"A voice shouted above the sounds of music and laughter.

"Oh! Hi!"

The blond girl came and hugged Abby, strongly. I didn't think she saw me and if she did she didn't say anything. The truth is that Nikki and I not always saw eye to eye in certain matters, more specifically affairs of the heart. Meaning she stole my boyfriend, Josh Perkins, and I never quite forgiven her.

So I stood to the side to see if JD was in here somewhere when my brother's voice reached my ears, challenging Abby to a game of pool. Poor Jimmy, Abby will kick his ass. That was when I spotted him, all moody and sulking at my brother and best friend banter.

"SHANE!"

Half the bar turned to me but all I cared was about that big bear like guy in the back, still holding the pool cue.

"Shorty!" He shouted back.

I ran to him and he opened his arms and lifted me up the ground.

"How's the big city?"

"Fine… But I'm actually mad at you, mister." I said, pouting.

"Why?" Shane said, sounding outraged.

I slapped his arm.

"You weren't at the pier when I arrived. I thought I was more important than that to you."

I feigned hurt and looked the other way. He suddenly stalked out, leaving me standing there alone. The moment I saw where he was heading, I knew there was trouble brewing in the horizon.

Shane and JD never liked each other, and that's just another case of mutual hatred. But as I made my way over there, I saw another thing that made my trouble radar beep: JD was not alone, in front of him and talking to him, was Kelly Seaver, Shane's ex-girlfriend and once one of my best friends.

We used to do everything together, Kelly and I. Then Wakefield killed her mum, in the same twisted way he killed Mrs. Mills. She changed after that, became haunted by the dead bastard and eventually our friendship ended.

Once, she told me she couldn't bear to be around me anymore. When I asked her why, she said that the day of the killings, her mum had asked Kelly to go with her, run some errands. But I showed up at her place and she went with me instead. She had convinced herself that she could've changed something if only she had been there with her mum. A part of her kind of blamed me for her mum's fate.

Before I had time to act, I saw JD bang Shane's head on the table. I ran there, but Shane was already fighting back.

"Shane stop!" I screamed.

Abby was also trying to get him to stop, using her pool cue. He didn't even felt that.

"Shane Pierce you stop that right now!" I threatened.

But in the end it was neither me nor Abby that stopped him, it was the Sheriff.

"Shane, that's enough... That's enough, Shane!"

Jimmy finally got behind Shane and held him, stopping him form beating JD further. He still looked mad, though.

Beside me a small voice piped in, "Hi, dad."

* * *

Abby went to talk with her father, while I got JD up and told him about Henry. He just plain ignored me and went away. Kelly stared at me for some time then she, too, went away. I was left alone.

I searched for my brother or Shane and found them by the door, leaving under the glare of Nikki. I sniggered at her look. That was nothing compared to my glare, that was (full on) zeroed in on Shane. He returned the glare, already in his asshole mode.

"What? He had it coming. He was harassing Kelly!" He finally said as we were by his truck, in the parking lot.

"Did you have to be such an ass? Why do you always have to pick a fight? And why does it matter to you what happens to Kelly? Last time I checked you were the one who ended things with her!"

Jimmy just stood there, smirking; he was used to our fights by now.

Shane seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "He... Well… He hit me first!"

Really? That was the best he had?

"You were being an idiot or cruel or, knowing you, probably both!"

But Shane wasn't ready to stop yet.

"He still hit me first."

"God what are you Shane, like four?"

"No!" Shane sounded completely outraged and that combined with the look on his face did it. I cracked up. Even though both boys gave me a funny look, soon they were joining me, the tension relieved.

When the laughter died down I looked and Shane and said, more serious, "Really Shane, you could try to be nicer..."

"Yeah right! To that freak? No way!"

"Shane!" Sometimes he could be so... infuriating!

"What? You know me Shorty... Okay, I'll make you a deal. I stop being so nasty when you stop being so short? How's that?" He had a huge smirk on his face and I thought I heard Jimmy try to stifle his laugh.

"Hey! That's not fair! I can't change that!"

"And who says** I** can?"

"Urgh! I give up. You keep being your jackass self. But you know, one day that's gonna get you into trouble."

"I love you too, Shorty!"

I gave him a dirty look but he completely ignore me and went to my brother's side and kept talking, as if that thing in the Cannery hadn't really happened.

The guys brought me to the Candlewick and I trudged to my room, suddenly exhausted. Like I guessed earlier, the couple next door was making some funny noises, but I was so tired it didn't bother me that much. I just fell asleep even before my head touched the pillow.

Unfortunately I had a restless sleep. I kept tossing and turning, waking up at random. Then, around six, I woke up with the strangest feeling: it was like I was being watched. My eyes were still closed and I thought I was still dreaming, when, I swear to god, I heard the floorboards creak. I froze. Fear crept up my spine and my breathing hitched. When a soft click reached my ears I sat bolt upright in bed switching the soft light of my nightstand lamp on.

The glow illuminated the main areas, leaving the corners in a deeper darkness. The chills started again and I decided I wouldn't stay a minute longer. Grabbing my running gear, I dressed as fast as humanly possible and left the room, never shaking the damn feeling.

* * *

I hit the ground running. I knew the island like the back of my hand, the good spots, the best tracks, all the tiny details. That morning, or I should say dawn, I choose the one that passed in the outskirts of the town. It wasn't populated but it wasn't deserted; the ground was hard and straight; not too many tree roots, it was my favorite route.

When I returned to the Candlewick the place was more lively, but not by much, the occasional employee and not much else. I sat in the stairs near the pool. I was too lost on my thoughts to notice his approach.

"A penny for your thoughts."

I looked at him and found his kind brown eyes fixed in my face. I smiled and said, "They're not worth that much now. Give it a couple of hours and then we can discuss the price of my thoughts, okay?"

He laughed and I realized just how much I had missed Danny. When I cut Sully out of my life I lost more than a love, I lost my friends too. I sighed then, adding things to my list of reasons why I disliked Sully.

"Hey, what's with the sudden sad air?"

That was my Danny, always worried about others. Sometimes I wondered why I had never felt more than friendship towards him. He was the right kind of guy, the boyfriend material. Why on earth had I fallen for Sully, with him right there?

"I missed you." I admitted quietly. "I hope you know that."

He hugged me then and dropped a kiss in my hair.

"Sure I know, but it still nice to hear it. And I missed you to, a great lot." My friend said with a kind smile on his face. Then he brought up **that** subject "You know who else missed you?"

"Danny... Please, not now."

"But it's true Jamie."

I got up from my seat and started to pace the floor in front of him.

"He had his chance and he blew it. I don't care about him. I'm over him now." Okay that was a lie, but I was trying... Plus, the rest was true, so I didn't felt that bad about lying.

"But-"

"I can't think about that right now, I have bigger problems on my hands."

He gave me a look, clearly disbelieving so I told him about my early wake up call, "I think someone was in my room last night."

I was just trying to throw him off track, but the moment the words left my lips, though, I wanted to kick myself.

"WHAT!" He yelled, making a couple of maids look in our direction.

"Be quiet, Danny. Do you want to wake the entire Inn?" I returned to his side and sat on the steps, while he took up my place and started pacing.

"How can you be like calm like this?"

Now I was screwed.

"Okay, first you calm down and then I explain everything to you." He kept the scowl firmly in place but shut up, so I, true to my word, explained the whole thing. He got quiet afterwards and I waited, patiently.

"We should get you another room. If there was really someone in there with you last night, they might return and only god knows what could happen."

I thought he was blowing things out of proportion, but had to admit that was a very good idea. I nodded silently and off we went.

We talked to Maggie, who agreed wholeheartedly with Danny and I got another room, while the staff was forced to make an inventory of all the keys to the rooms and the rest of the Inn.

As we were getting upstairs, I wondered what else would go wrong with this trip.

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Author's notes: Another chapter, yay! I hope you all liked this.

Someone asked me who was the drunk guy that hit on Jamie. Well he's really no one special, just another idiot that drunk a little too much.

Again I want to thank everyone that reviewed my story and a special thanks to my beta!

And don't forget to review! :)


	4. Jerk Or Not?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

**Before the chapter I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas! Hope you got what you all wished for!**

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**Chapter the Fourth – **_**Jerk...Or not?**_

After a long bath I was ready to start my day. After I finished I was starting to get dressed when I realized I hadn't brought a bra. I groaned and wrapped the towel firmly around me, calling to Danny, who had insisted in overseeing the transfer and keep me company.

"Danny, close your eyes I'm coming out."

"Why, you picked that bad of an outfit for the scavenger hunt?" He said, laughing as he did so.

"No, you jerk, I forgot my bra out there."

He got silent instantly. I smiled to myself. He was so easy to tease.

When I opened the bathroom door his eyes were firmly close. He looked so cute I couldn't resist and got closer to him.

"Good boy, Danny!" I kissed his cheek and he trembled a little.

I was trying to find the right bra when I heard a knock on the door, thinking it was Maggie, with my new room key, I opened immediately. It wasn't Maggie.

"Listen, I was hoping we could talk."

His eyes were downcast as he said that. When he finally looked up, he saw my state and his mouth went agape. His baby blues took their time scanning every inch of me. The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults. It was stronger than me.

Danny chose that moment to ask from inside the room, "Can I open my eyes now, Jamie? Are you decent?"

Sully's eyes snapped back to mine and got dark as he said, without giving me a moment to reply, "I see you're busy. I'm sorry if I interrupted anything."

"Jerk." I mutter before closing the door with a bang.

* * *

Trish was late to the presentation of the scavenger hunt. To be honest, the bride lost the entire thing, arriving only in time to see us off.

Earlier, when Danny and I got to the patio, where the wedding party guests were patiently waiting for the bride, Sully had been all smiles. We exchanged a glance and he smirked. Not soon after, his eyes were undressing the blonde from the boat, whose name I had yet to find out.

Again the only word I had for him was, "Jerk," that I must've said out loud because Abby picked up on it.

"Who?"

I wasn't fast enough and she caught my dirty look in Sully's direction.

"Oh, never mind." Abby said, rolling her eyes at my glare. "Did you know your brother and Shane hunt deer now?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. If she was hinting at my implication with Sully I was more than free to return the favour.

"Yes, he told me a couple of months ago. The deer are taking over the island. Believe it or not, they are actually performing a service to the community."

Now she was annoyed.

"Yeah, but did they had to do it in front of me?" Then she proceeded to recount her encounter with them earlier that morning. I fumed at Shane's brashness. I would have a word with him later.

"Well…" I paused, trying to change the subject. "What were you talking with Henry? It seemed serious." I asked referring to their grave faces earlier.

"Huh… Erm… Someone was in my room last night."

That captured my attention. "In yours too?"

"What do you mean? Was someone in your room last night?" Abby said sounding scared.

It was my turn to recount the events of the previous hours. Her thoughts were interrupted when Henry started to explain, apparently tired of waiting for his bride.

I was in the blue team, so was Abby. I looked around and saw, to my utter dismay, that Sully was in our team too. I wondered if I could switch teams when he beat me to the punch. My temper flared when I saw him fooling the poor blonde's boyfriend. He had such a nerve! Abby just laughed at my mood and went to the boy's side.

"Come on. We're gonna kick their ass!"

"Damn strait we are! I'm Jamie, by the way."

The boy just looked longingly at his departing girlfriend, before he faced me and introduced himself. "Cal Vandeusen, at your service." We shook hands.

As we were getting down the stairs Kelly was coming up. She ignored me completely but said 'hi' to Abby. I stared at her retreating back. Wow, some things take a really long time to let go of.

"Do you know who that girl is?" She asks finally, after spending quite a few minutes silent.

"Kelly Seaver."

Abby shut her mouth after that. She knew I don't like to talk about my ex-best friend.

After being joined by the other two members of our team, Richard Allen and Lucy Daramour, we head out to our first stop, the Cannery.

During the walk there I got to know Cal a little better. I discovered the name of the blonde girl from the boat, Chloe Carter; learned that we shared a profession, he was also a doctor; and that he was totally and completely in love with Chloe.

As for the other two members they pretty much stuck to each other and the dog, Gigi. The experience in the Cannery was pretty awful for me. Between Nikki's constant glare, which appeared to be reserved to me alone, and Cal's unrelenting whining about 'His Chloe' I had had enough. The only part I actually liked was Nikki's verbal spar with Lucy, over Gigi.

With a look of disgust in her face, Nikki had said, "People eat here."

Lucy had answered sweetly, "Gigi is people," and with a smile on her face.

"Gigi's gonna be an appetizer if you don't get her off my bar."

The offended look on the princess's face had been priceless. I almost laughed out loud. My mood went sour, again, as Kelly approached the bar and, yet again, ignore me, while engaged in a conversation with Abby.

"You know what Cal," I said as we were alone trying to answer Nikki's questions, "You should go to Chloe. Ignore the scavenger hunt, ignore Sully and just go and stay with her. Fight for her. Go ask Richard for the map and meet up with her."

He looked at me, more than a little drunk, and said, "You're right. I'll go now and be with my Chloe."

He took off immediately after that. As I saw him walking unsure towards the door, I considered going after him. I was about to do just that when the door to the bar opened and a very pissed off Shane got in. He didn't see me at first, going strait to the bar and ordering a beer.

"So who started a fight with you this time, big guy?" I said, as I sat in the barstool next to him.

"Not today, Shorty."

I frowned at his words.

"What's wrong, Shane?"

"Well why don't you go ask your dear Abby," he said in a very sarcastic tone. I was beginning to loose my patience.

"It seems to me you're the one that pissed her off with you jabs, not the other way around."

He turned to me, anger colouring his words, "Don't give me that self righteous talk. Just ask little miss perfect what she did **after** that."

I looked in the direction of the table I had last seen Abby but she wasn't there any more. I went to the window to peek outside, and see if she had joined them already, but all I saw was Cal unsure steps and the same two people outside, no sign of my friend.

All of a sudden, she passed by me, an upset look in her face. I was about to go see what was wrong with her, when Kelly followed her quickly.

Sensing no one was interested in the damn scavenger hunt I turn to Nikki and say, "Give the thing we were supposed to get from here." I didn't bother with pleasantries; I was far too pissed to care about that.

"Your team didn't answer all the questions."

"Do I look like I care about that, just give the damn thing already!"

She finally cave a gave me a very expensive bottle of champagne, and I left, still reeling from Shane's words.

Lucy and Richard were talking outside, happily, about something, with him giving her such a look that I wondered how she could be so blind. Abby was looking in the direction of the forest path, where Kelly had disappeared to.

"So what happened with Shane?"

She gave me such a threatening look that I actually took a step back. There was fire in her eyes.

"He is just about the biggest jerk I have ever seen. Any more questions?"

That one silenced me. I wondered what he said this time. I took off then, going after Cal, to ensure something didn't happen to him. Stopping, though, to ask Richard and Lucy which path had he take to meet up with his precious girlfriend.

* * *

I didn't find him. When I reached the museum, they informed me that the yellow team had been there but had already left. After trying to make a pass at me, the guide told me that the girl of the group (Chloe) asked him where Wakefield was buried.

I don't know why I took off to that damn cemetery. After all I should be after Cal, not Chloe. And yet, something pulled me in her direction. After a short ten minute walk, I got to the grave of Wakefield, that wasn't really in the community cemetery. What I saw iced over my heart.

Inclined in Chloe's direction was Sully, clearly attempting to kiss her. My throat clogged up with tears, half from the scene, half in utter frustration for the existence of them in the first place.

I started to back up, slowly. I was so upset that I didn't notice the root in my way. When I turned around, my foot got stuck and I fell, yelling as I did so. I put my arms up to brake the fall, but I felt my ankle twist in a bad angle.

"Hello?" His voice reached my ears then. I didn't want to answer but I didn't really had a choice, if I wanted to get out of there I had to call out to him.

"Sully, over here."

In an instant he was by my side, tall and imposing, but with a worried face.

"What happened?" He asked as knelt down by my foot, trying to figure out a way to get it free without hurting me.

I was in too much pain to be bothered that he was, again, my rescuer, all I wanted was to get to my hotel room, "I fell and by the looks of it, twisted my ankle."

He tried to get it off, but only succeeded in hurting me. I hissed and cursed, violently.

"Sorry." Sully said, looking very contrite.

"It's not your fault anyway, I'm the idiot." Truer words had never been said. I was **such** an idiot. How could I have believed in him? But this was so not the time to be thinking about his character.

With a last effort my foot came loose. The pain was intense, but anything a couple hours with ice over my sore ankle, and Tylenol couldn't resolve. I tried to stand, only to fail miserably.

"Here, let me help you."

The moment his hands touched me I felt a jolt of electricity run through me. I think he felt it too because he squeezed me a tad more strongly. For a second, the entire world disappeared, only leaving me and him in it. It was a fleeting moment, but was...

... Whoa, what the** hell** was wrong with me?

After trying to simply support me and failing, giving his 6'1" in comparison with my meek 5'1", he decided that carrying me was easier. The conflicting feelings inside of me were making my head hurt, almost as much as my ankle.

We continued our journey in silence. I closed my eyes for only a second, his heartbeat lulling me to sleep. I tried to fight it, but his strong and warm arms were entirely too comfortable for me to pass up the opportunity.

"You're tired, don't fight the sleep, I'm here for you."

I followed his advice and allowed the sleep to come, a contented smile in my face as I cuddled up with the boy that had broken my heart.

* * *

Author's note: Hi again! Hope you liked it. Sorry for the short chapter but I promise the next one will be bigger and the plot will advance :)

Again I want to thank everyone who had the time to read and review and to my beta, greasgurl!

You know what I wish... A little review ;)


	5. Bad News

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

**Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate, here's another chapter :)**

* * *

**Chapter the Fifth – **_**Bad News**_

I was cold. I woke up suddenly in my room, alone. As I looked to my feet I saw that the source must have been the towel wrapped around my ankle, with the piece of ice sticking out of it. As I reached for it, I felt the pain surge through my leg. Now I remembered what happened. Sully and Chloe; the almost kiss; my stupid fall…

As I remembered the golden haired boy, I inspected my room, half expecting him to pop up somewhere. As my gaze fell on my nightstand I saw a glass of water, a bottle of pills and a note. I picked the last item up, curiously.

_Left you the Tylenol, you should probably take some. Take the ice off when you wake up. Hope you'll feel better and won't miss the bonfire. With love, Sully._

I didn't know what to do with him. Really! Before coming to Harper's Island I had all the answers, all the certainties. But now, it's as if everything is jumbled up. Sometimes I'm positive I hate him, yet there are times I wonder if I ever stopped loving him.

My head suddenly hurt and I gulped down the two Tylenol. I was wondering what my next move should be when there was knock on my door.

"Who is it?" I shouted from the bed.

"It's me, Abby! Can I come in?" My friend yelled back. I smiled.

"Sure. The door's open."

"Sully told me what happen. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Abby. Just took my Tylenol. I'll be up and about in no time."

She looked nervously at me, something was up, I could feel it, "What's wrong Abby?"

"Nothing?" She said while she sat at the foot of my bed, she sighed. "I think now might not be the right moment to tell you this."

I was getting frustrated with all the secrecy, "What?"

"I did something this afternoon." She cast her eyes downwards, like all of a sudden her shoes were more interesting than me.

I scrunched my face, "What did you do, Abby?"

"IinvitedKellytolivewithus."

"Calm down and try say that again. This time with space between words, please." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I invited Kelly to come live with us." She said very quickly.

"WHAT!"

"I knew you'd be mad." She began to pace then.

I was furious, "I'm not mad, I'm just surprised." My tone was as dry as a desert in the summer.

She shook her head, "Yeah and pigs can fly."

I was trying to keep my rage under control, exhaling very slowly I said, "I was just wondering what made you do it."

"Jimmy," she blurted out. "I mean… it was after talking with your brother that I realized that I was being selfish. I mean I got out… I just went and she had to stay and deal with this every single day of her life, all alone."

"It was her choice."

Abby knew the whole story, down to the last word. She even knew things I had never told Jimmy. My brother had been dealing with enough things at the time; he didn't need to have this weighing on his mind too. I mean, he knew we had had a fallout of some sort, but he didn't know that had to do with her mother's death. I took a deep breath. I was gonna be calm about this. I truly was gonna be calm about this.

Who was I kidding? I couldn't be calm about this. I was so spaced out I tried to get up, putting weight in my ankle, of course the pain was instantaneous and bad. I fell down on the bed again with a muffled cry.

"Hey! You shouldn't put weight on that leg." Abby said, in a scolding tone, as she approached my bed.

I glared at her for a while and then closed my eyes, trying to make the pain fade away. I needed to be alone for a while, "Hey Abbs could you go ask Maggie if she has some crutches or something like that? I could use a pair, seeing as my ankle is worse than I thought."

My friend nodded and got out of the room quietly. I dropped my head in the pillow, trying to assimilate the news. When that didn't work I went to the window and looked outside. The sky was getting darker, and I should be getting ready to the party...

But I just couldn't stop thinking about Abby's actions. I couldn't stop thinking about how much Kelly's indifference bothered me. How much it hurt then and how much it hurts now.

A knock on the door pulled me from my reverie. I hopped to it and opened it, finding Abby and Danny with a pair of crutches on their hands and a goofy smile on their faces.

"Let's go party!" The two yelled and I couldn't help myself and laughed a little as I rolled my eyes at them.

* * *

The party was going strong all around me. Everyone was having fun. Everyone was smiling. Abby and Booth were talking near the fire; Henry and Trish were talking and cuddling in a beach bench; Danny, Malcolm and Sully were lounging around the fire, drinking beer; Chloe was looking around her, as if she was looking for someone, probably Cal, who I hadn't seen since that morning.

Laugh and happiness was all around me. I should be having fun. What was wrong with me? This trip was really messing with me. I was a happy girl. Not one to party too much, but one that knew how to have fun. Like Abby liked to call me, a very balanced young woman.

Gigi came to me and started to lick my hand. That made me smile. I mean, if you got past that owner of hers, the small dog was kind of cute. Said owner didn't take long to retrieve the dog from me. I glared at her retreating back and returned to my place in the sand.

I was lost in thought when someone landed with a heavy thud near me.

"Hey there, Jamie. What's up?"

I smiled at Malcolm as he passed me one of his Sacred Turtle beers. Those were really good. I took one long swig of it. "I'm just peachy, Mal, What about you? Whose lady are you eyeing right now?"

He didn't say a word, just looked in the direction of Beth.

I was about to say something when I heard a commotion near the fire. When my brother's face came into view, I knew Shane was there too. I asked Malcolm for help and went to see what was happening. I was just getting near the fire when Henry, surprisingly, punched Shane right in the face.

I tried to move faster, anticipating my friend's response, except… it never came. To my complete disbelief, Shane picked himself of the floor and, without a word, both he and Jimmy retreat back from where they had come from.

Jimmy locked eyes with me and just shrugged, also not knowing what had just happened. I had half a mind set on following them when Chloe's voice reached my ears, "Has anyone seen my cute little Englishman?"

I turned to her, suddenly alarmed. "Chloe?"

She turned to me, clearly surprised that I knew her name and was talking to her.

"Yes?"

"Cal hasn't show up yet?"

She looked at me like I was stupid or something. I took a deep breath (got close to her) and explain what had happened that morning. She looked way beyond pissed, she looked like she was going to kill me where I stood.

"You did what? Are you crazy or just plain stupid? How do you allow an inebriated person alone in the woods? He doesn't know anything about this island! He's probably lost or worse, hurt. And that's all thanks to you!"

I let her vent. I mean, I didn't enjoy the fact that she was scolding me in front of all these people, but I knew she was right.

I was feeling extremely guilty when Sully butted in.

"Actually… it's kind of not her fault."

Both of us turned to him and he started talking. The more he talked, the more pissed I got. He had left Cal, hung upside down, in the middle of the woods, alone. I wanted to deck him. Chloe glared at him, her light eyes, darkening.

"Then what are you waiting for? Take me to Cal."

* * *

Abby was on my right side, Malcolm on my left. I tried really hard not to need them, but in the middle of the woods, in the dark, there was not much I could do. Maybe Sully had been right, maybe I should've stayed at the bonfire. Of course he would never hear me say those words.

"Ouch! Damn… Guys wait a minute, please, my crutch is stuck."

"Again? At this rate we'll never get to my Cal!" Chloe huffed, pacing.

"Well, have you considered that he could be hurt? I'm a doctor, I can help him."

She seemed to soften a bit at that. Sully on the other hand seemed a little mad.

"He's not hurt."

Four pairs of eyes zeroed on him. Abby was the one that voice our common thoughts, "And how exactly do you know that?"

He mumbled something under his breath as I managed to free my crutch.

"What was that, Sully?" I said.

"Nothing," he grumbled.

"I thought so. Now let's go."

It took us 5 more minutes to find him. He was limp, just hanging there. He seemed…dead. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. He wasn't dead, he was just passed out.

Chloe advanced in his direction, slowly, whispering. As she finally got close enough to touch him, "Cal?" she hesitantly caressed his face, kissing him gently.

We were all waiting with baited breath for Cal to wake up. When his groggy and week words reached us, we all breathed in relief, "Why are you upside down?"

Between Sully and Malcolm, Cal came down. His staggering form was stabilized by Chloe. She sat him down on a big rock and I examined him. Everyone gathered around to see.

I checked his pulse; his ankles, seeing the bruise already forming; and the rest of him. He seemed okay. "He's fine. You need to clean his friction burns, Chloe. He doesn't have anything broken or strained I think. He might have some trouble walking for a couple of days but he didn't suffer any permanent damage. A good night sleep and he'll be fine." I heard a collective sigh of relief and smiled at the look Chloe was giving the short man.

The blonde girl thanked me hastily and turned to Cal, starting on the treatment… in her own very private way. Well, I didn't hear him complain and that was all that mattered. I turned around, to give the couple a little more privacy, and saw that Abby and Malcolm were already in the distance.

My crutches had been left on the rock directly behind me. I turned to pick them up when I heard a loud crunch. My heart rate picked up and I got that feeling I was being watched. Thinking it was Chloe and Cal I turned in their direction, but they too, were already gone.

I turned again to pick up my crutches but they were also gone. I was starting to freak out when someone touched my shoulder. I yelled, loudly, and tried to run.

"Whoa, take it down a notch, Jamie."

As I turned and saw Sully standing there, holding my crutches, I took them out of his hands roughly and slapped his arm, saying, "You idiot! You scared me!"

His trademark smirk made an appearance, as he calmly stated, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were such a wuss."

"Jerk."

I started to walk, still mad at him. For the next 5 minutes we walked in silence. After that I heard him sigh and then say, "Too long."

Next thing I know, I was being lifted up in the air. "Hey, what are you doing? Put me down!" I started to squirm.

"What does it look like? If I let you walk we'll take ages. I'll carry you and we might get there in time to sleep a little. And stop squirming!" I ceased my movements immediately and he smiled.

Damn, why did he have to be right?

* * *

My sleep was undisturbed that night. Although I did heard a giggle, coming from the floor above, the one were my first room was, as I was stripping to my underwear.

I was woken up by the sun shining down on my face and smiled thinking how good of a day I planned on having. I was going to take a shower when there was a knock on my door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Cal," comes Cal answer, and then followed by a short giggle, a second voice, "And Chloe."

Surprised I open my door. "Hi guys. How are you feeling Cal?"

"Excellent. We came here to thank you for your help last night." Cal said as Chloe nodded.

"It was nothing." I said nonchalantly.

"No, it was. You didn't have to come, but you did, even though you were hurt. And after the way I treated you… I need to apologize for that." Chloe said seriously, looking ashamed.

"Like I said, it was nothing and my ankle is getting better anyway."

"You know I could get a look at it. You know how doctors tend to overlook their own injuries..." He smiled knowingly as I stepped aside and allowed them entrance.

We chatted for a while, as Cal observed my ankle. He said nothing I didn't already know about and, as he went to Chloe's side, I saw him limping slightly.

"Are you okay, Cal? You're limping!"

"Don't worry Jamie, I'm fine. Take care of that ankle."

They turned to leave when Chloe turned to me again. "We're going to the pool, why don't you meet us there?"

Smiling and nodding I said "Sure thing. See you there."

As I jumped in the shower, I thought that the day was definitely going to be awesome.

* * *

When I finally made my way into the pool, I noticed how crowded it was. Abby, the guys and Beth were already in. Chloe was sunbathing while Cal watched over her. I smiled at him and limped my way there. Since I was coming to the pool, I decided to leave the crutches back at the room.

"Glad you could join us. How's that ankle of yours?" Danny said from the edge of the pool.

"It's sore but it's getting better." I answered smiling at my friend.

He got out of the pool and made his way towards me, smiling a little too brightly. "Are you sure? I mean you can swim with it, right?"

Before I had time to answer he was already on top of me, holding me and then promptly throwing me to the pool. For some worrisome moments all I did was struggle. When I finally came up for air I saw Danny's smiling face in front of me and I dunk him.

"You idiot!" I yelled as he came up for air. "I'm still half dressed! Now I'm all wet!" everyone laughed at me so I dunk Danny again for good measure. "Jackass."

"I love you too, Jamie." His grin was bright and I couldn't help but laugh at him and his words.

I swam to the edge of the pool and tried to get out. After a few failed attempts I slouched back in the water, suddenly tired. Then I felt a pair of hands on my hips. The touch was firm, yet gentle. I knew it wasn't Danny, I knew exactly who it was but I didn't acknowledge his presence or help. When I got seated, Sully was already turning away from me. It was always like this with us now; we were either butting heads or ignoring one another.

Abby gave me a knowing glance. I was just about to get up when Sheriff Mills walked in the pool area. His face was so serious, I knew something was wrong.

"Abby, I need to talk to you." All eyes turned to Abby, as she in haste, got out of the water, going for her sun dress. She was almost there when he said, "You better come too, Jamie."

Abby and I followed him in a heavy silence. My heart was plummeting on my chest, as if it wanted to get out and escape me. When we finally stopped I notice Abby's eyes, troubled and concerned.

"I'm here because of Kelly Seaver, I didn't want you girls to hear it from someone else."

I looked at Abby's dad, puzzled.

"Hear what, dad?" Abby sounded as confused as I was.

"Nikki Bolton found her last night."

My heart froze in place. Did that mean?

"What? I mean… you're saying Kelly's…" She didn't finish it. She didn't have to.

"She's dead." I uttered. The Sheriff looked at me, then Abby, and finally nodded.

"I'm sorry girls."

He looked at me, a sad look on his face.

"How did it…I…I…I mean what happened?" Abby stammered.

His reluctance in answer gave me a yet worse feeling.

"It appears that she took her own life."

"NO!" I yelled before I could control myself. As I looked towards Abby I noticed that she was nodding.

Charlie looked at us, trying to make us understand, I'm sure. But he was wrong. He had to be.

"Doc Campbell says she has a history… was on a lot of meds. Swings can occur in a matter of hours…"

I shut his voice after that. I didn't want to hear it any more. I couldn't believe that was happening. I mean, Kelly went on for 7 years, but decided to kill herself just when she managed to score a place to stay, away from the island. It didn't make sense.

I also didn't know how to feel. She had been my best friend from growing up. She had been important for me, for my life. But in the last 7 years she wouldn't talk to me, wouldn't even acknowledge my presence. I was sad, but for that happy little girl I knew. I didn't know the person she had become. Had I a right to be sad?

I walked to the pool, absently minded. I walked straight into someone. As I looked up I saw dark skin and I instantly hugged him.

Danny's arms closed around me immediately.

"Hey, what's wrong? What did the Sheriff want?"

"Kelly's dead."

He hugged me tighter. For a while all we do is stand there. Then he gently brought me to one of the chairs on the pool's bedside. I noticed how only Cal, Chloe and Beth were there, the latter of which was in the water still.

As he rubbed my back comfortingly I told him the whole story of my complicated friendship with one recently deceased Kelly Seaver.

* * *

I hope you guys like this!

It's thanks time! I want to thank to everyone that review. In special to Rebecca, .mouth and my beta, greasegurl!

Again guys... There's something you could do to make me happy. You know what it is... Review ;)

Til we meet again :)


	6. A Really Bad Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

I hope 2010 started on a good note for everyone! Here's another chapter for you guys! :)

**

* * *

**

**Chapter the Sixth – _A Really Bad Day_**

By the time I finished Cal and Chloe had approached us. They gave their condolences and left, with a, "If you need something, just let us know."

"Thanks." I said to their parting figures.

The two of us were left in silence. Danny was a great friend, but there was someone I needed to see right now. "Hey, I need to go talk with Shane. I need to see how he's doing."

"Do you need company?"

He was so sweet. "No Danny, I expect him to be worse than normal today, and I don't want to expose you to his bad side."

But he was relentless. "And yet you're going to see him."

"Yeah and I'm the second person in this world he kinda likes, and that is not saying he won't be a complete asshole. See you later Danny. And thank you."

"You're welcome. If you need anything, just give me a call."

I waved him goodbye and left, it was a long walk to Shane's and I really wanted to be there for him. I hadn't for far too long and I knew the he would need someone now.

By the time I got there the house was deserted. I never liked his house. The place was always littered with junk; but the worse part was that it was so goddamn isolated. It always kinda freaked me out when Jimmy and I came to hang out in this place. Today it was especially scary.

The wind was hollering, although I was fairly certain it wasn't on the trek here. The front yard was full to the brim with metal pieces, casting strange shadows all around me. The whole scene seemed to be taken out of a horror movie to me. But I tried to ignore it; after all, I did have a purpose here.

After the fifth time I called his name and got no response, I tried to open the door. It was locked, so I tried to find the spare key. Surprisingly it was nowhere to be found. I sighed and decided to go to the harbour, to see if he was with Jimmy.

When I got to the marina I was pretty much dead. Walking that distance didn't usually take such a toll on me, although it was pretty strenuous. But with the crutches, it was harder and I couldn't make any shortcuts. Oh, I couldn't wait to be able to walk on my own! And, on top of my tiredness, my ankle was hurting, it was simply a dull throb, but one I knew would get worse if I didn't take a couple of Tylenol's, unfortunately they were left on my hotel room.

I asked around, receiving hugs and slobbering kisses from old friends of my dad, along with empty responses. He wasn't anywhere. Jimmy had taken his boat out early that morning and wasn't expected to be home until that night. I thought maybe Shane had gone with him, but one of the old fishermen's said Jimmy had gone out alone.

I had a gut feeling that something bad was about to happen, and I was on the verge of desperation. I spotted Abby and Nikki talking. As I got closer I could see the tears on the blonde's face and decided to stand back and give her a little privacy.

Abby and Nikki parted ways and I went to my friend.

"How's she holding up?" Just because I didn't like Nikki, didn't mean I was insensitive to her feelings.

"Bad. They had gotten pretty close in the last few years. And it's never easy to find a dead body," answered Abby, looking rather uncomfortable.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Abby was already on the move. As I followed her and saw where she was headed, I said, "Shane's not home. I just came from there."

"Maybe he's already home. I really need to talk to him."

She seemed very determined.

"Why?"

When she refused to even look at me, let alone answer, I got suspicious. Then it clicked.

"He didn't kill her, if that's what you're thinking."

When she stopped in front of me, sighed and turned, I knew I was right.

Before she could say anything I spoke again, "He might be an ass, and always pick a fight, and be a bit of a bully but he wouldn't hurt her!"

She seemed even more troubled. "Nikki says he hit Kelly, for a while, after they broke up."

I was stunned… and pissed off. "Well she's lying! Wouldn't be the first time that happened," I tried to walk away from her, but one of my crutches got stuck in a stupid hole in the dirt road.

"You know she wouldn't… Not in this case. You're saying that just because you don't like her!"

"And she's saying that because she doesn't like Shane!" I turned my back on her then. I couldn't believe she seriously thought Shane was capable of murder.

That got her very worked up. "Well she gets good reason for that! He's a cruel bastard that enjoys hurting other people. So, excuse me, if I don't think that is such a great stretch of the imagination to think he might have killed her. He was pissed enough at her." She practically shouted at me.

"He liked her! **Really **liked her. It might have been on his asinine way, but still…" I said just as loud. After the yelling I just hung my head, tired, and finished in a small voice, "I don't believe he killed her Abbs. I just... can't"

We continued on, Abby a little ahead of me. I was mulling her words over, but no matter how much sense they made, I still think Shane would be incapable of murder.

She approached his house hesitantly. I took the lead then, walking past her as if she wasn't there and yelled, "SHANE!"

Just like before there was no answer. I was running out of patience so I knocked one of my crutches against a metal thingy that was lying close to me. He was probably passed out somewhere inside. But my gut was telling me yet again, something was very wrong.

Then I heard a sound, somewhere to my right. I looked at Abby and noticed she had heard it too. We went to see what that sound was. This time she came by my side, helping me with my crutches, because this path was worse than the one that gave access to the main house. And frankly, this seemed a scene taken directly from a cheap horror movie. I grabbed Abby's hand.

Midway to wherever it was we were going to, I took notice of the skins, the blood and the smell. This must be the place he and my brother used to skin the deer. I had to put a hand over my nose and mouth, the smell was nauseating. My friend's eyes were focused a little up the path, in a structure I couldn't make out from this far.

We finally saw the entrance to what seemed to be a shed of some sort, a place I didn't even know existed. The inside was dark and damp. I could hear a sound similar to chains, but couldn't make heads and tails of it. The walls were covered with plastic, making it harder for me to see that much ahead. I started to get chills in my spine.

I was too entranced to notice when Abby let go of my hand and started to move further inside. I could hear her breathing in short gasps, but it was only when I heard a muffled noise that I turned to her.

What I saw made my stomach churn. Gagged, bound, and with a noose around his throat, was JD Dunn.

All of a sudden someone appeared behind us, scaring me a bit. We turned, together, and I saw Shane, only this wasn't my Shane… this was a person who was clearly out of it.

"Are you looking for me?" He said, with a crazy glimmer in his eyes.

He walked around us. When he spoke, he did it looking at Abby, but his words were directed to me. "You should leave now, Shorty."

"I'm not going anywhere." I said with a slight tremor in my voice.

He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken; Shane just went straight to his little show. "You know what Kelly's problem was? She was just so desperate, for attention, that she didn't even care hat kind of a nut job she got in front of her." As he said this, waving his arms around in JD's direction, I saw the knife in his hands. I shivered.

"Come on, Shane," Abby said. I wanted to say something but I couldn't. I was frozen trying to understand this side of Shane, a darker one, one I never saw before.

"No, no, I'm not listening to you!" Shane said pointing his finger at her, starting to became more agitated. "Kelly did. Kelly listened and look what happen to her."

"Come on, Shane, you know it wasn't Abby's fault." I said, trying to defend my friend.

"It was, Shorty. She was talking to Kelly about L.A.," he ten turned to Abby, furious, and said, "What the hell do you think she would be doing when she got up there?"

"I don't know… she…she…She wanted to try, wanted a fresh start," Abby said, almost blabbering.

But Shane wasn't having any of it. He just kept on going. "There's no such thing! Moving wasn't going to save Kelly… She took him with her everyway she went. She tatted his name on her skin."

I was startled to hear that. How could she do it? I mean the girl avoided me because of a 'What if' and then went and got Wakefield's name on her skin? What the heck was that? I looked at JD; his eyes were following the action closely and fearfully.

I looked at them too, engaged in a conversation. Maybe I could…

As they went on, I inched closer to JD, trying to see if I could get myself between him and Shane. I didn't think he would do anything, although, I must say, I didn't bet on it. I locked eyes with Abby, signaling to JD with my head. She just engrossed Shane in a conversation about Wakefield being alive. I shivered again at that thought.

I started to look around for something to cut the rope with. I saw a small hunting knife stuck in the wall and made my way to that. Shane was looking between Abby and JD and I prayed he wouldn't notice my absence from his vicinity.

When I finally got it off the wall I didn't need it anymore. It all happened so fast…

Shane was turning to me, when the strong voice of the Sheriff was heard all over the shed. All four of us were startled, so much that Shane knocked right against JD, whose chair went flying and who started really hanging.

Abby and I went straight to the rope, to cut it, all the while Shane, finally snapped out of his rage, held JD, until we got him off of that noose. The boy fell to the ground with a loud thud. Abby went to him and I went to Shane's side.

He looked so… distraught, like I had never seen him. It was truly heartbreaking. Sheriff Mills came to our side, after ensuring that JD was going to be fine, and cuffed Shane. He didn't even blink, just went with it.

After putting my friend on the back of his SUV, Abby's dad came to me. "Are you okay, Jamie? I knew Kelly was your friend."

I looked to Shane, then to Abby and JD, finally to him. After everything there was only one logical answer, "No." But I didn't want to dwell too much on that so I ask, "What's gonna happen to Shane?"

"I'll hold him for a few days… At least, until after the wedding. I don't want any more trouble."

I understood and nodded. He went to speak to Abby. I was so distracted by the whole situation I didn't saw him coming.

"Thanks."

I almost jumped a foot high. I wasn't expecting him to still be there, let alone that he would talk with me. "Err, you're welcome JD. For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He just smiled, weakly. I could see, even in the dim light of twilight that he was going to have some nasty bruises in a few hours, from where the rope had pressured his skin.

I resumed my way to Shane. He had his eyes closed, head tilted backwards. There were so many things I wanted to ask, but the most pressing one was, "What were you thinking?"

His answer was simple, "I wasn't."

I waited for him to elaborate, knowing that rushing him had the opposite effect.

"I… I feel…I should've…" Shane didn't finish, he couldn't.

"I know." I said, getting closer to him, through the open window.

Then came something I wasn't expecting. He lashed at me!

"No you don't.... How could you? You just abandoned her, ran off with little saint Abby. You are as responsible for her death as the rest of us."

That was like a slap in the face for me. Even though a small part of me knew it was just his way of grieving, it still hurt.

"So now I'm responsible for her death? Wow, that's just freaking great, isn't it? Any more deaths you want to pin on me?" Yes, I was overreacting but I was tired, hungry, hurt and so many other things that I really didn't care, I was intitled to be pissed off. More than a little bit like him, I know.

He went to open his mouth but I was already starting the way to the Candlewick. It had been one terrible day and all I wanted was to get into bed and forget all about it.

Everything was dark a desolate, just like I was feeling at the moment. Abby came to my side, we walked in silence, both of us absorbed in the crappy day we had just had.

The Candlewick was all lighted up. I shared a look with Abby, and as we got in we could hear the sounds of party. That's when I remembered. Today was the rehearsal dinner! I groaned. I had already decided not to go, when I saw Sully coming in our direction, full speed, a pissed off look on his face.

I was about to ask what was wrong with him, but he just exploded on me, for no reason at all, "WHAT? I've heard all the jokes by now, you're late. You can leave and be a bitch to someone else!"

The tears came unbidden to my eyes. It was just the cherry on top of the freaking cake. I just shook my head and moved, as fast as I could with my crutches, to my room, an idea forming in my mind.

_Sully's Interlude_

That was it! Christopher Sullivan was ready to commit murder! It had been such a long time since someone pulled a prank on him... Usually it was the other way around; **he** was the one laughing at the end of the day. He really hated the short English dude. And he still couldn't figure it out, for the life of him, what a gal like Chloe (**so freaking hot**) could be with someone like Cal.

He was tired of all the laughs and jokes so, after Henry's speech, he just slipped from the dinner. It wasn't that funny anyway... But seeing as how everyone was having such a great time; he didn't want to be a party pooper. As he kept walking he got more worked up, his ears were still ringing form all the laughs, and then he started picturing Cal's face throwing his words back at him. By the time he got to the atrium he was furious.

He barely saw Abby, but Jamie's form was embedded in his mind in such a way it was impossible for him to miss her. But since he couldn't deal with that, even before she said anything, he just exploded, "WHAT? I've heard all the jokes by now, you're late. You can leave and be a bitch to someone else."

When his eyes locked with her, he saw tears and, for a split second, he actually enjoyed himself. Then he came down to earth and couldn't believe what he had just done.

He stared, as she shook her head and then left, almost running, to her room. He wanted to kick himself, but Abby did that for him.

"You jerk! She had the worst day and you go and say something like that to her? Why do you have to be such an ass, Sully?" After finishing, Abby left him there. He was such a screw up.

He was passing by the open door to the ballroom, when he heard Danny and Abby's voices.

"Hey Abby, do you know what's wrong with Jamie? She passed me by like a hurricane, and I think she was crying."

"Well if you must know, that's all Sully's fault." Sully could imagine Danny's eyes hardening and his jaw setting. For a good guy like Danny, he had a mean streak whenever one of his friends was concerned.

But Abby continued with her story, "Did she tell you about Kelly?" Sully had no idea who Kelly was, or what had happened to the girl, but by the lack of Abner's explanations on the subject, he figured Danny knew. He felt the twinge of jealousy in his chest, but tried to focus and hear the rest.

As Abby went on his heart sunk lower. By the time she ended all he wanted was to go apologize. The image of her tear streaked face haunting his every step, but when push came to shove he just couldn't face her. So Christopher Sullivan went straight to his room, just about ready to die, like a damn coward.

_End of Sully's Interlude_

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So... did you like it? I sincerely hope you did. And for those curious out there for the reason of the conflict between Jamie and Sully... Well the only thing I can say is tune in for the next chapter :)

But... I wonder... Would you guys like a little preview?

_**Preview**_

_"What happened, Jamie? One day you and Sully are somewhat together, the other you're isolating yourself on your schoolwork and cutting him off of your life." Her eyes grew soft and distant. "You scared me, that year… Your college roommate called me a few times, worried about you, but you always shrugged it off to her natural psychiatrist inclination to overanalyze every single thing…"_

_"It… It happened on the last week of summer, before my senior year in college." I was nervous. Sharing did not come easy to me._

That's it :) After all, I have to save a little for the next chapter...

And again I must thank everyone that reviewed so far, specially to Rebecca, Courtney and my awsome beta, greasegurl. You guys are the best! :)


	7. Confessions

**Disclaimer:** Anything you recognize is not mine, unfortunately, I wouldn't mind having a Sully or Jimmy hanging around... ;) But I do own Jamie Mance!

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for your reviews, they put a huge smile on my face. ****A quick shout out to Rebecca, Courtney and Kristen, you girls rock!**

**So... In this chapter there's a secret revealed. Uhhh, go ahead, read and find out, and after... Well, after don't forget to leave a review, I would appreciate it immensely. **

* * *

**Chapter the Seventh – **_**Confessions**_

I had enough! I was so getting out of this stupid island. I mean, what was the point anyway? Why did I come in the first place? For the bride and groom? Yeah, right. For Abby? For my brother? Well, to hell with them, this was too much for me.

Unfortunately I was still crying as I stormed into my room, closing the door with such a force that the frame on the left wall shook. I went around the room, emptying drawers, opening and closing doors, and all the while the tears were making my vision blurry.

I was so mad! Mad at Shane, mad at Sully, but mostly, mad at myself. Why did I have to accept this stupid invitation? I looked at the golden words on the very expensive looking paper and, on a fit of rage, I ripped it to pieces.

I went to the closet and retrieved my bags, opening them on top of my bed. Someone knocked on the door, but I didn't want to deal with anyone at that moment, so I said, "Go away."

A couple minutes passed. I already had all my underwear inside the bag when there was another knock on the door, this time it was more insistent and stronger. "I said: GO AWAY!" At that time I didn't give a damn who might hear me.

Since the person outside couldn't seem to take a hint, I walked up to the door and opened it, shouting in that person's face, "What part of go away didn't you get?"

Abby's brown eyes met mine and I felt a little guilty for shouting at her. So I just stepped aside and let her come in, closing the door after her. She took a moment surveying the state of disarray of the room, and then turned to me, a very calm expression on her face. "Are you leaving?"

"Yes."

Her next question was simple, but made me even madder, "Why?"

"Why? WHY? Try because this stupid thing has made a knot on my brain, on my heart, on everything I believe. Try because I twisted my ankle, then lost a friend, was called a bitch and a murderer all in the same day. Try, Abby, because I'm sick of feeling un-freaking-wanted in this stupid wedding party. I don't belong with the bride's friends, I don't belong with the groom's friends, I just don't belong here!"

I lost steam after that tirade. I fell to the ground then, seeing as how my bed was filled with my clothes and other belongings. Abby sat on the ground beside me, silent, waiting.

"Feeling better?"

I nodded and rested my head on her lap. My tears had dried off, and I was a little better, but I still wanted to leave. I just couldn't stay; I would go crazy if I did. Abby spoke then, very softly, making me feel like a little lost child.

"You're hurt and more than a little emotional right now. You can't be going around making decisions like that, honey. You'll more than likely make mistakes."

"Don't worry about mistakes; I've already made a big one. I should've known better than that…"

"A mistake? You mean coming to the wedding or seeing Sully again?"

I groaned. Why did she have to insist on that?

But, as I looked at her, I knew she wasn't just asking for the sake of her curiosity. She was curious, yes, but mostly she seemed worried. Though the twinkle in her eye told me she was also trying to take my mind of things.

Only problem was: I didn't know if this new subject would do more harm than good.

"Both." I sighed.

When she noticed my lack of defensiveness, she went straight for the kill.

"What happened, Jamie? One day you and Sully are somewhat together, the other you're isolating yourself on your schoolwork and cutting him off of your life." Her eyes grew soft and distant. "You scared me, that year… Your college roommate called me a few times, worried about you, but you always shrugged it off to her natural psychiatrist inclination to overanalyze every single thing…"

"It… It happened on the last week of summer, before my senior year in college." I was nervous. Sharing did not come easy to me.

I could feel her eyes on me, but I didn't look over at her or I'd lose my nerve. I just started talking.

"You and Henry decided to go on that fishing trip, Jimmy was enjoying his new boat, and I was left all alone. That's when I got the call: Danny was sick. Like really sick. And you know Danny… he hates hospitals, and no matter how much Sully pushed he just wouldn't go to one. So Sully called me and I went upstate immediately." I sighed, that call had been just the beginning of the end.

Still not looking at Abby, I got up. My ankle was killing me so I went to take the Tylenol I had been craving all day. After that, I went back to my place on the floor, except I lay down and focused the ceiling.

"The first three days there, I spent taking care of Danny. It turned out it was just a bad stomach bug... The fourth day dawned dark. The news announced a terrible summer storm; so much that they had to close a couple of roads. Of course Sully took one look at my old beat Chevy, and told me that there was no way he was going to let me drive all the way back to L.A. on that… That first day he cancelled all his plans and stayed home… with me. We talked and talked, about everything and nothing it was… good. We continued well into the night. Until he kissed me, then we started making out." I managed a small smile then. Abby surrendered to my much comfortable position on the floor, still silent. She just knew me too well than to interrupt.

"My relationship with Sully never moved on to the next level because I always refused to be just one more on his list and also because… I… I had never been with a guy… intimately. But that day it was different. **He** was different, sweeter, and intense. I couldn't resist. I went for it, nervous as hell…" I could hear my voice telling this to Abby, my mind taking me there…

_We were lying on the couch on the living room. His bigger frame was on the bottom and I was splayed on top. We were kissing and his hands were caressing my body. As soon as his hand got inside my shirt I faltered. He felt it and open his eyes. The blue was so dark with desire I felt a shiver run down my spine. He touched me softly on the face. I didn't resist and closed my eyes and gave in to him, actually whimpering when he withdrew his hand. _

"_You're a virgin, aren't you?"_

_I felt my cheeks burn and I kept my eyes closed, afraid of seeing any kind of mockery on his eyes, and just nodded._

"_Look at me… please." _

_When I open my eyes there was something in his blue eyes, stronger than lust, sweeter than passion, I wanted to think it was love, but I didn't dare. He kissed me again, so sweetly, so caring, and then he got up, carrying me in his arms. When we reached the bedroom he stopped and looked at me, silently asking me if I was sure I wanted to do this. I just kissed him._

_He laid me down on his bed, his eyes never wavering from mine, the intensity returning to his eyes and gestures. He pulled up, taking his blue indigo t-shirt, and then fell back on top of me, kissing me, as his hands, delicately, took my white blouse off._

I was brought back to reality by the sound of Abby clearing her throat. I blushed furiously and she lightly giggled and said, "Too much information."

I continued on with my story, "It was…magical. He was so gentle, so patient with me, he made me feel so loved…" Then came the part I wasn't sure I wanted to disclose, the piece of information that made everything all the more worse, the one thing that still belong only to me and him. I took a deep breath and continued.

"We spent the rest of the night in bed, talking, and holding each other. On the morning he went to make us something to eat, but first he prepared me a bubble bath. The hot water did wonders to my sore body. When I was finished I went to put some body lotion. I didn't see him at first. When I reached my chest I looked at the mirror and saw him watching me, a smile on his lips. I blushed and trembled, but smiled back as he approached me. I turned to him and stared deep in his eyes. I saw something… different. Then he said it."

I could still remember that steamy bathroom, the softness of the towel around me, the feel of his hands on my shoulders, his lips on my neck…

"_God, I love you so much Jamie."_

I couldn't bear to look at her. Instead, I fought my own tears, as I tried to continue, or I know I wouldn't be able to do it.

"I didn't know what to say, it was all so unexpected. Instead of taking it back he just kissed me and said it again." I felt the emotion bubbling deep in my chest and I felt my heart start to beat faster; the words leaving my lips more quickly.

"I didn't ask for anything, he didn't say it in the throes of passion, he wasn't drunk or otherwise intoxicated and he didn't say it to get me into bed, Abby. I… I reciprocated his words, of course. It was a feeling so exhilarating; to hear those words, from him no less. On the night before I was to return home we made love again. Before I left he said I made him happy… that I was special." I didn't resist the tears by then. I just let them fall.

"That week we talked every day, more that once a day sometimes, it was wonderful. I had never been happier. Then I received the response from Cedars-Sinai about my request for this spot to make my residency there. I was so happy all I could think about was to share it with Sully... But I didn't want to do it over the phone. So I packed up my car and went to Washington State University. I found Danny, on his way out, and he let me in, saying that Sully should be home soon. I went to his bedroom and lay down on his bed and I fell asleep. I woke up with a loud bang coming from the living room. I was scared, my heart was beating furiously, and then it stopped dead." I tried to clear my throat, try to do anything, except what I was about to do, but I couldn't. I just started sobbing…

_As I kept staring ahead I was trying to find a logical explanation for that. But I couldn't, because there __**wasn't**__ any logical explanation. Sully was groping some blonde girl, and they were locked in a heavy kiss that I knew where would end up. That went on until they had to come up for air. That's when he saw me. His eyes went huge like saucers. He started to disentangle himself from the big breasted bimbo and make his way to me, when she noticed my presence._

"_Who are you?" She said in a high pitched tone, while grabbing hold of Sully's hand, effectively stopping his advances in my direction. I felt another tug at my heart. I was speechless. I looked at Sully, but he too, was silent._

"_What are you doing in my __**boyfriend's**__ room?" The bimbo continued, stressing the word 'boyfriend'._

_The tears welled up in my eyes. My throat got constricted. I was having some difficulties in breathing. Did that mean…? _

_I bolted. I couldn't handle anymore of that. I could actually hear my heart breaking as the full understanding of the situation fell on me. I wanted to disappear, to forget all about him and all this and just get way._

"You see, Abby, in the end I was truly just another one. But what hurt the most was the fact that he lied, deliberately, purposefully. I didn't ask for anything, I wasn't expecting anything in return. But he… he **played** me! He knew how I felt and he got my hopes up only to shatter them… to break me."

I got up then and went to the bathroom. After washing my face, taking very deep breaths and regaining a little more composure, I returned to my bedroom. Abby was looking at me, her brown eyes soft and understanding. When she opened her arms I just couldn't resist and went to hug her.

"He… I had no idea, honey. Who else knows?"

We sat again, both our backs against the side of the bed. "Only you know the full story. Danny knows something big happened, because he found me that day, after I left their house. He was the one who stayed up all night in a 24 hours open cafe keeping me company. I think Henry knows, but I have no idea how much. Jimmy doesn't know, so no telling him, he would make Sully regret the day he was born."

She sniggered, arms firmly crossed in front of her chest, and a very pissed off look on her face. "Nothing he doesn't deserve. God, why are men so... Argh, I could kill him right now!"

_Sully's Interlude_

It was late. He knew that, but the alternative had been a very bad night of sleep, tossing and turning, so instead he chose to stay there, his eyes locked on her door. There was a fervent battle going on, inside of him.

A part wanted to go in there, grab her by her shoulders and kiss her into oblivion, another part wanted to yell at her for making his perfect and simple life, complicated, yet another one wanted to simply go away and forget about her. A sudden and fierce headache was starting and he fell to the floor, his head in his hands.

Sometime later he heard her cries, her sobs and wanted nothing more than to bring the damn door down and collect her on his arms. But the fact the he was the most probable cause for those tears, made him go still and hate himself even more.

So he stayed in that same place, looking at the wooden frame and wishing things had been different.

"You need to talk to her."

A sad smile appeared on his face as he heard his best friend speak. He turned to the dark haired groom and whispered, "I tried, man, but it seems that every time I try, something always gets in the way."

He turned his eyes to Henry and the soft spoken boy said, "Well try harder! If you really want things to work out, you need to get your head out of the sand and face the facts. You screwed up,** bad**, but if you want to remedy that, you need to do something, be a man and just get it over with. Beg…grovel if you have too, because, let me tell you man… this is probably your last chance, so don't sit around waiting, do something!" Henry said in a rush. "Wow! Did I just sound like a Britney Spears song?"

Sully couldn't help but chuckle at his friend. "Henry, if you know how a song from Britney sounds like, it's a sign you need to get off of Trish's CD collection."

Both boys laughed at that. Henry shook his head and left, while Sully stayed for a few more minutes by her door, waiting and wishing, for the miracle he needed to have her back on his arms, to happen.

_End of Sully's Interlude_

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**Hope you all enjoyed this!**


	8. To Go or Not to Go

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own a thing... What a shame... But Jamie's mine!

**Hello everyone, here's another chapter! Hope you enjoy it :)**

**And of course, a thank you to all that reviewed, specially to Rebecca, Courtney and Kristen :)**

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**Chapter the Eighth – _To Go or Not to Go_**

I woke up that morning with a very stiff neck and an aching back. I felt a weight on my right shoulder and turned slightly to see a dark haired head. Memories of last night came back to me, in fully, as I shook my friend awake. She grumbled something I couldn't make out and then turned her head to the other side, moaning, as she probably felt the same pain in her neck muscles. She yawned and then asked, "What time is it?" Her eyes still firmly closed; after all she wasn't the morning type.

"10 a.m."

She cursed loud and got up, so fast she swayed a little. "Woah… head rush."

She started for the door, but then turned to me. "Hey, do you wanna tag along? I'm finishing something for the groom and bride, but after we could…I don't know, do something."

"Sorry, Abby, but I think I have some thinking to do…"

She understood were I was getting at, but still looked worried. "But… you're not still considering going away before the wedding are you?"

I turned my back on her. "I have to give this some serious thought. You'll be the first to know, whatever my decision may be."

"Okay."

She left after that. I just stood there, looking out the window, hoping my ideas today were a little clearer than they have been for the last 24 hours.

I tried calling my brother, unfortunately Jimmy's phone was disconnected. I threw mine on top of my very full bed, sighing. I had a decision to make, one I needed to make fast. Should I stay and just deal with my feelings or go away and leave this island and **him** forever?

I was close to the bathroom door, ready to go take a good and long hot bath, when someone knocked.

"Who is it?" If this is Sully, I swear to god…

"Henry."

Confused and a little stunned it took me a couple minutes to open the door open the door and allow the groom to get in the room. Probably seeing my strange look, he said one word, "Abby."

I cursed my petite friend and tried to smile, failing miserably.

"Don't tell me you're planning to bail on me, Jamie." He said as he surveyed the state of my bedroom.

I was a little shocked by his straightforwardness. "Well… I'm... considering it."

He sighed, seeming saddened by my answer, and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Why? Because of Sully? Come on, Jamie, you're my friend and I want you here as much as I want him."

I scoffed at that. "Please Henry, he's your best friend, I'm just Abby's friend. We're not close."

"Yeah, I know that, but that doesn't mean I don't like you. I want you to be here, so does Trish. We were both very happy to have you here, with us, sharing this moment of happiness."

His argument was a good one, I'd give him that, but I still had issues that would not be resolved by his words. Although it was kind of nice to know my presence was wanted, it was very soothing to my ego.

"I said to Abby and I'm gonna say it to you: I need to think, Henry."

He nodded and got up to leave, before he turned to me and said, "I see you tomorrow at the wedding rehearsal." He then gave me one of his sweet smiles and left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

I felt refreshed as I descended the stairs. The guests, all belonging to the wedding party, I noticed, were spread evenly in the room. I went to the buffet and gather a very large amount of breakfast. I hadn't eaten very well yesterday and was really starving.

I sat on a table by the window, watching the people milling around outside. I was so out of it, that when someone dropped on the seat beside me, I almost jumped a foot in the air.

"Hi there, Jamie."

"Jesus, Chloe, you scared the hell out of me!"

My new friend laughed her crystal laugh and just rolled her eyes. I didn't know her for very long, but she already treated me like we had been friends for long.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. So, excited with the bachelorette party? I know I am, though I would love to see what the boys are up to. I mean, Sully has the kind of look that tells me he's up to no good," she said smiling.

I flinched a little when she mentioned him, but didn't think Chloe saw it. At least, that's what I hope. "Yeah, that he does. He probably hired a stripper or something like that."

We continued talking for a little while longer, getting to know one another. She told me how she met Cal, I told her about Jimmy and how it was like growing up in the island. She complained that Cal would be gone most of the day and I could see that his feelings for her were totally reciprocated. She loved him as much as he loved her.

I finished my plate, said my goodbyes and decided to go for a walk, maybe stopping by the police station to check on Shane. As I was descending the stone stairwell in front of the Inn I saw Shea Allen and her daughter Madison passing by. The little girl looked in my direction and waved, sporting a brilliant smile. I always found her adorable, so I waved back. She then turned her attention back to her mother, asking something I couldn't hear.

The next person I saw was Malcolm. He was holding some papers, looking nervous as hell. "Good morning Malcolm! Everything cool?"

"Hi, Jamie, it's… it's nothing."

He was always the most boisterous of the bunch, so for him to be so subdued, it **was** something. "Come on, Mal, you don't need to lie, I can see that you're nervous."

Even though we were not very close, I still cared for him.

"I'm pitching my 'Sacred Turtle' beer project to Wellington this morning. I really need his support or I'll never be able to take this off the ground."

"What about the guys? I mean, didn't they help?"

"Of course they did! But it's not nearly enough. I need more." There was a slight note of desperation as he said that. I felt really sorry for him.

He just smiled tightly and left. I really hoped he got what he needed. But knowing Wellington, I wasn't getting my hopes very up.

* * *

The police station was void of Sheriff Mills and his oldest deputy, leaving me with the most recent acquisition. The guy ogled me quite a bit until he finally asked, "Can I help you miss?"

"Yes. I want to see Shane Pierce, please."

He looked at me in a funny way and then answered, "I'm sorry miss, but I can't allow you to see a prisoner without the Sheriff's authorization," he said, looking anything **but** sorry.

"Please?"

He smile at me, a sick smile, and came closer. "Well, maybe we can work something out…" He wiggled his eyebrows and patted my arm. I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"Maybe after I've see him?"

His smile got bigger and he took me to the cells, just keeping a little too close to comfort. Shane looked up when we entered and picked up on my discomfort almost immediately. He sent the deputy a belligerent look and the guy stepped out in a matter of seconds. I smiled at this seeing as my friend, even with bars standing in the way, was still very threatening.

"Howdy, Shane, how's it going?" I asked, deciding that he looked well enough to handle a bit of sarcasm.

He looked annoyed and returned his form to the small cot that filled the prison cell. "Peachy, Shorty… just darn peachy."

I closed the distance between me and the metal bars and looked at my friend.

"The Sheriff told me last night he'll keep you in here just until after the wedding. I can't really say I blame him, after all you did try to kill the grooms' brother."

He didn't say anything to that, instead he changed the subject

"I'm sorry for last night. I didn't mean to say those things." He looked quite contrite.

"Yeah you did, Shane, you really meant what you said about Kelly."

He was struggling with what to say. He got closer to me, touching my hand briefly, but still unable to say something. So I took charge of the conversation.

"You were right, to a certain extent… But I didn't want to abandon her," my voice was week.

But before he could say anything, the deputy came out and barked that I needed to go. I waved my friend goodbye and got out. I wondered what had caused the change in the young officer, when Sheriff Mills got in the front door.

He smiled to me and said, "Hello Jamie. Came to see Shane?"

I nodded and he turned to the new deputy, saying, "Trenton, whenever Jamie here comes to see the prisoner you let her, understand? And if I hear that you have harassed her in any way you'll go and keep Pierce company, got it?"

The young man nodded, obviously not into the idea of sharing a cell with Shane. I smile at that and the Sheriff and left the station.

My ankle had gotten better enough not to need the crutches so I hadn't brought them with me, though I still avoided the more difficult grounds, taking the longest paths.

When I reached the inn, Madison was on the front steps, looking quite angry and lonely. Taking pity in her I decided to join her. "Hello Madison! Everything alright?"

"I didn't break it! I really didn't…why didn't they believe me, Jamie?"

I was stunned. First I had no idea what she was talking about; second I didn't recall ever being introduced to her, and I can't imagine Trish talking of me to her family either. Still I tried to come up with an answer.

"Uh… I'm sure you didn't… Maybe they were just stressed out about the party's tonight and then the wedding is the day after tomorrow…" I trailed off, not really knowing if I was helping or even making any sense to the small girl.

She just shrugged and smiled at me, saying, "Do you wanna play with me, Jamie? Do you?" There was eagerness in her voice, but also something else, something which seriously scared me. I felt a chill and, unconsciously rubbed my arms. Madison was already up and had extended her small hand at me, hesitantly, and not wanting to believe a 9 year old could scare me, I went with her.

We ended up playing a card game, go fish, in one of the tables in the garden. It wasn't a very exciting game to someone my age, but it seemed it was to her. We played a few rounds when a voice sounded, just above my head.

"Madison, darling, won't you introduce me to your new friend?"

Thomas Wellington was a very imposing man. I froze. Madison, who hadn't noticed my reaction, happily obliged to her grand-father's wish. "This is Jamie, grandpa."

I rose from the chair and extend my hand, introducing myself, "Jamie Mance, Mr. Wellington. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He seemed to be evaluating me but took my hand immediately, kissing it. "It's my pleasure, Miss Mance. You're a friend of Trish, right? I believe she has mentioned you. You're a doctor, aren't you?"

I found it odd, but nodded. "Yes, I'm doing my residency at Cedars-Sinai at the moment."

He looked impressed. "That's a very good hospital."

"The best of LA." I beamed proudly.

It didn't take long for me to grow tired of the game. Madison looked pretty pleased, and even Wellington was smiling, and I felt like I was intruding in their private time, so I was about to go when Madison said, "You lose, grandpa, now I want the cookie you promised."

Wellington stood and complied to her request, quiet happily, in fact. Trish showed up then, caressing her niece's hair. Madison, suddenly sad, asked, "Is my mum looking for me?"

Trish gave me a strange look, and then answered, "No sweetie."

Wellington, having just arrived, gave Madison her cookie and returned to his seat. Before Trish could say anything, I got up and excused myself. That was definitely family time, and I was not family.

I decided to take a walk outside the Inn, to clear up my ideas. I was so distracted that, when I saw where I was, I sighed.

That was the spot me and Kelly made our secret club. I giggle at the memory. Jimmy and Shane decided that they should make a club, which only consisted in two lanky boys stuffed in a small closet. But, at the time, they made it seem like such a big deal, that Kelly and I wanted to join them. Of course they didn't allow us. We were so mad at them…

That was when Kelly suggested we should make our own club.

Only, when we informed the boys they laughed in our faces and said we couldn't make a club, because it was a boy thing. Big mistake... The very next day Kelly and I started looking for places to hold our meetings and do whatever it was Jimmy and Shane did.

We found this same meadow and loved it. The wild flowers, the sound of the river somewhere behind us, it was perfect. Of course once we settled we didn't have a clue as to what exactly they did so we just enjoyed the peace and quiet of this magnificent scenery.

It became our personal playing ground. Whenever one of us had a problem this is where we came to talk, or cry, or laugh. It was here Kelly ended our friendship. Here that Jimmy found me later that night, still trying to understand what had happened.

I never missed an opportunity of coming here whenever I visited the island.

I always thought that one day I would make peace with Kelly. I always found reasons to postpone it, though. I was afraid and I was weak, I abandoned her and now she was gone and I would never have a chance to say sorry, to set things right. I felt the tears wash over my face.

"I thought I might find you here."

I turn at the sound of my brother's voice. His eyes were kind, his smile soft. He opened his arms and I all but flew there. My tears soaked the shirt he was wearing, I was shaking quiet badly, and yet he just held me tighter, whispering nothings in my ears.

"I… I… She's gone, Jimmy. Gone! And there's nothing… I won't be able to say… Why?"

I knew I wasn't making any sense at all but I just couldn't control my sorrow.

"Shh… I know Jay, I know… I bet she knows it too. But you got to understand, she... she changed, you saw it," he sighed. "I… I hate seeing my little sister like this. You were made to be smiling, Jamie."

I smiled through my tears. They were still cascading down my face, but I wasn't shaking anymore. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the ground with him.

He sat near one of the trees while I seated myself by his side. His right arm encircled my shoulders allowing me to be a little more comfortable. We spent some time in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable and it wasn't awkward, it was just ours. It was something we started doing a little after our mother's death. We discovered we both liked the silence, so being together while silent became a thing for us.

I broke the silence first. "I'm thinking about leaving earlier than planned."

"I understand."

I scoffed, "No you don't."

He sighed. "Yeah, you're right, I don't, but I guess you're not eager to tell me are you?"

I just nodded. The minutes passed by, as I tried to organize my thoughts. That's when I realized something that had totally escaped me until this moment.

"I don't see this as my home anymore," I almost whispered. "I… I mean, you know I love you and all, but this island… I can't… I liked growing up here. My roots are here, **you're **here... but after the killings, the island lost its shine. And now this with... Kelly..."

"I understand. I really do."

"Are you mad?"

"Why would I be? Look here sis, I rather you're honest with me and happy than have you lie and be miserable just to please me. I respect your choice and I love you. That's all that really counts."

I smile peacefully. Jimmy was such a great guy and the best big brother anyone could ask for. I didn't know what I would do without him.

* * *

I returned to the Candlewick just in time to follow the bachelorette party head into one of the many rooms. Catherine Wellington, Trish's step-mother, took the spotlight and started a little speech. Honestly, I just tuned her out. I moved to Abby's side and noticed the faraway look on her face. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I knew it was not the time or place to do it.

Suddenly, a wave of pink washed over the party and all the girls were laughing their little heads off. Chloe handed me a pink zip coat and I chuckled a bit at the words printed on it.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maggie come in with a worried look on her face. She approached Trish and Shea and both women took off running, the bride in the lead. Instinctively, everyone followed suit.

The room we entered was not trashed in the traditional sense. The freaky thing was that every single piece of china, of the once beautiful set, was broken. A chill ran through my spine as I watched the scene.

An outburst from Trish caught my attention. "You can't! It was my mum's." She left after that.

Maggie walked up to me. "I just can't understand what happened! One minute everything is fine, the next I'm being yanked from my office, by one of the younger girls, saying that something really awful has happened to the Wellington/Dunn wedding party."

"How long was this left unattended?" I asked curiously.

"Oh… I don't know… The last time I was here was one hour ago, maybe less."

"It is strange."

Maggie just nodded and looked at me, her eyes softening and her tone losing a bit of its edge. "How are you holding up, Jay? I heard about that terrible thing with Kelly." That was yet another bad thing about that damn island, news spread like wildfire.

"I'm fine, Maggie. Thanks."

She squeezed my shoulder and left, probably trying to ensure nothing else was ruined.

Abby entered the room, then, trailing behind a smiling Madison. While the child was taken to her mother, and spoken to in hushed tones, Abby came to me, a very strange look on her face.

"Okay, just spill it! What's wrong?"

"It's Madison… When I found her, she was…I don't really know what she was doing, but it was…scary. She was repeating over and over 'one by one'. Then, when I got closer to her, she turned to me and said she wasn't getting to be a flower girl, and get this, she says the spirits told her so. Isn't that strange?"

I just nodded. Something was **definitely** strange about Madison Allen.

* * *

**So, what do you think? Drop me a line and tell me what you're thinking :)**


	9. The Luck of the Unlucky

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the tv show Harper's Island, sadly :( I do own Jamie Mance.

Hey guys, here's another chapter for you. A big thank you to everyone that reviewed, add this story to their alerts or their favorites, it puts a big smile on my face.

An ever bigger thank you to Courtney and Kristen and to Rebecca, of course, that never fails to leave me a review. About your last review, Rebecca, this isn't exactly like you suggested (I had just sent the chapter to my beta when I read it), but it does involve an exaggerated amount of alcohol, and Sully, hope you enjoy it none the less :D

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**Chapter the Ninth – _The Luck of the Unlucky_**

It was now night and the party goers were a little more animated. Trish took some time to get in the right mood to continue the bachelorette party, which after what happened, was completely understandable.

Everyone was starting to have some real fun, the copious amount of alcohol around helping quite a bit. Chloe proposed a bet then, anyone who said the groom's name would have to drink a shot. I chuckled at that, imagining that Trish would be pretty hammered by the end of the night.

I was right. We weren't to even half way through the party and she was already swaying a bit on her feet.

Their idea of entertaining was a tarot reading. I chuckled yet again, when I saw Karena, the island's self proclaimed psychic, start preparing her little show. I didn't believe those things, never did. Not in horoscope, not in spirits, not in the readings of one's luck. I was too practical to believe. But I did indulge in the fun.

Every girl got a turn. We all laughed and passed a good time, hearing what was supposedly in store for each one. When my turn came, I tried to skip out. "I don't believe in those things!" But Chloe, Abby and even Trish were adamant: everyone had to take a turn.

I sat in front of Karena, she dutifully shuffling the cards, a very concentrated look in her face. She started to put them on the table then. "The Lovers, interesting, well that can mean a lot of things, let's see…"

She kept going like this for a good 5 minutes. Every time she put one card she went backwards, like trying to figure out the picture in the puzzle. When she finished she was so entertained by it that she didn't say anything.

"So…" I said, trying to get her attention.

She looked me in the eyes, her stare so intense I couldn't have looked away even if I wanted to. "Be careful! Be very careful… I see danger… betrayal… and you'll need to be brave. My poor child you'll need to be so brave…"

Then she looked away, quickly averting her eyes, almost ashamed. I was stunned. Now that was odd. All the other girls got were a few sentences about love, life and men and I get this? I was just my luck to be the one to be marked as unlucky and in danger.

I was still reeling from her words. I didn't really pay attention to the rest, seeing as only Abby was left. Then I heard Karena. In almost the same manner she had reacted to my reading, except this time she picked up her things and left, leaving us all a bit weird out. Abby, of course, was the worst.

The party pretty much ended after that. Trish went to take some air and I went to Abby's side. "Don't be like that, Abbs! Karena is a nut job, we better than anyone should know that! Come on, don't look so sour," I pouted and she smile a little but I knew she would be in that terrible mood the rest of the night.

When she excused herself I thought about returning to my room. Except I didn't really want to, I wanted to do something, anything, that would take my mind away from Karena, and Kelly, and everything else I had to sort out.

The bottle was there, almost liked divine providence. The label read 'VODKA' in bold red letters. I took a glass out of the cart the maids had brought, and poured myself a glass. The clear liquid burned my throat as I chugged it. I had to close my eyes. That was some **very **serious stuff. I smiled and poured myself another drink sitting near the table, playing with the cards Karena had left behind in her haste to leave.

I had worked my way to half the bottle before I was interrupted.

My head was in my hands, my eyes closed. To anyone coming, I'm sure it looked like I was sleeping, but I was just resting. I could still remember much of everything, which only meant my goal, was not yet achieved.

"Need to try harder..." I mumbled.

I felt someone take the bottle from my side, and opened my eyes enough to see the last face I wanted to see. He whistled. "Damn girl, you don't play around, do you? This is some hard stuff."

I looked at him but I couldn't focus. I could see his dark blond hair, and the brilliance of his eyes and that was pretty much it. I tried to take the bottle out of his hands, but once I stood, on my own two feet, I swayed so much I fell forward… right into him. He was startled by my sudden movement, so much so, that he dropped the bottle in order to catch me.

I cried in dismay when the glass broke and the booze spread all over the floor, "You jerrrrk! See what you did? You broke my pretty bottle!"

I tried to stomp my feet, and that's when I realized my feet weren't on the ground. Sully was holding me close… and completely. I was suddenly aware of every muscle on his arms and chest. My head was spinning **so** much…

And the, for a second, everything was clearer. I saw him gulp, saw the way his eyes bored into mine, felt the way his arms tighten around me. Then I made the mistake of looking down to his lips. His beautiful lips, ones I hadn't kissed in so long, ones I missed…

I went for it. My mind was too muddled to be able to resist my body urgings. I crashed my lips on him with such a force he staggered. I didn't care, I didn't think, I just felt.

It didn't take long for him to kiss me back. Suddenly his hands grabbed my ass and took me to the table. It was the perfect height to favor my next move to wrap my legs around his waist. His lips left mine and descended to my neck, finding my pulse point and sucking on it, knowing exactly how it made me feel. I groaned and rubbed a little on him. He froze just then.

He took a step back. There was something on his eyes, something other than lust, "This… this is wrong…"

His words stung. So badly I sucked in a breath and I could feel the tears in my eyes. He noticed and amended himself. "No! That's not what I meant."

I flinched away from him. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I hugged myself and he tried to get me to look to him. Finally he just grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "You're drunk… And as much as I want to keep this up, I can't… because you're not yourself, Jamie. I don't want to take advantage of you."

I looked at him. My emotions were all over the place, my moods swinging like crazy. I nodded and suddenly felt very sleepy. My eyes dropped a bit and I felt him come closer to me and envelop me on a hug.

_Sully's Interlude_

The pattern wasn't lost on Sully. There he was, again, carrying her after she hurt herself and with her, again, falling asleep on his arms. He shook his head as he looked down on his precious cargo.

He didn't know why he went into that room. He just saw the light and thought about who could still be inside. He wasn't expecting to find her, alongside a bottle of vodka. He wasn't expecting to hold her so closely. And he sure as hell, wasn't expecting her to jump him, like she did. And for a moment he got carried away. For a second his brain shut down and his body took over.

Kissing her again, after that long, was bliss and he wanted nothing more than to ravish her. He indulged himself in that fantasy until the little minx rubbed herself on him. **That** brought him back to reality.

When he saw the hurt flash across her face, he knew he had said the wrong thing. His heart was beating madly on his chest: he couldn't believe he had screwed up, again. So he fought with her until he saw in her eyes the understanding he was looking for. But giving the fact that she was drunk that didn't really made him feel all that better.

He saw her eyes drop and realized she was now almost asleep, so he did the only logical thing: he grabbed her and carried her to her room.

And that's was where he was now, only problem was, he didn't know where her key was, and the door was locked. Sully wondered what he should do, and slowly, as to not wake her up, he put her down on the floor.

He stood up and stretched, she wasn't that heavy, but was enough to leave a slight pain on his back. He looked down at her sleeping form and knelt down by her, about to start looking for the key.

"What are you doing?"

He whirled around so fast he fell on his butt. He got up quickly, thankful for the shy illumination, or he was sure Danny would've seen him blush.

"What does it look like I'm doin'? I'm trying to find her room key."

Danny looked more intensely at him and said, "What happened? Is she hurt?"

Sully shook his head and answer, "She's passed out drunk. That's all."

"Well I have her key with me."

Sully looked at the young African-American boy darkly. "Why do you have her key?" His tone was sharp and he was trying to control his jealousy. The smirk that graced his friend's features didn't sit too well with him and he felt the urge to punch him.

"Calm down, dude…I have her key just in case of emergency." Sully was still glaring at Danny. His friend told him then, about the switch of rooms and, although his jealousy was appeased, now he was worried about her safety. He knelt down and grabbed her sleeping form again, while Danny opened the door.

"Ya know someone should probably stay with her tonight… Just in case she wakes up confuse and ends up hurting herself." As Sully got into the room, he pondered his best friend's words. He knew enough of her to know how badly she slept when she drank too much. He knew she used to wake up all the time, disorientated most of the times. He was worried about her, so he agreed.

"Yeah, you're right. You should stay, though… if she wakes up with me in her room she'll go ballistic on me." Except when he looked back, the door was closed and there was no one else in the room. With all the care he put her on top of the bed and went to the door, opening it quickly but not enough to see Danny anywhere.

"Son of a… I'm gonna kill him!" Still cursing Sully returned to the room. Jamie had turned and was now holding a pillow tightly. He wondered what to do now. Should he sleep in the bed with her or take the floor? Should he change her out of those clothes or let her sleep in them? Should he even stay?

He settled with grabbing water and Tylenol, for come morning, when he was sure she would need them. Then he collected the garbage bin from the bathroom, knowing she would be very likely sick and in need of somewhere to throw up fast, once she woke up. He also went to close the curtains of the window she had right in front of her bed, remembering how sensitive her eyes were when she was suffering from a hangover.

When he finished all those chores, he just stared at her. When she was sleeping, all the lines of worry and anger disappeared from her face, and he could almost forget the fact that she hated his guts. He went to sit near her. His hands were almost twitching to be able to touch her. He just wanted to feel her soft skin, her silky hair.

Then she moved and he froze. She turned to him, her mouth moving but no words coming out. He thought, more like wished, she had said his name.

He went to caress her cheek. She smiled at the contact, or at whatever she was dreaming about. Sully had to restrain his hand, to stop it from going someplace else, so he started to take off his clothes, since he hated to sleep with his regular clothes.

He was paying so much attention to what he was doing, that when he looked at her and saw her eyes open he was startled. "This… This is not what you're thinking!" The boy said, in such a shrill voice, that he cringed inside.

Jamie smiled, a very sexy smile, and said, "So you're not taking your clothes off?"

Sully gulped. He didn't know what to say or do. He was just standing there. She giggled, her green eyes never leaving his. Then, with trembling fingers, she started to unzip her pink coat. She dumped it in the floor, at the foot of the bed. Then she started to unbutton the red shirt she had been wearing underneath.

The only thought running through his mind was that she should be disorientated and sick, not sultry. Then it occurred to him that she was still drunk, with the amount of vodka she had ingested he wasn't surprised, but he wasn't exactly expecting this either. She was definitely on her way to make him go crazy.

When he resumed his watching of Jamie, she had no clothes, other than her underwear, on. Once again he gulped and his heart started to beat faster. The blood was pumping furiously on his veins, flowing uncomfortably to a certain part of his anatomy that he shouldn't be thinking right now.

"Come to bed, baby… It's so cold without you..." She stretched, smiling coyly at him.

His mouth was agape. Did he just hear what he thought he did? She had never talked like that to him, except once. Images of their time together flashed through his mind and he felt the heat increase. He didn't know what to say, or do, **again**.

When he finally got the courage to get closer to her, Sully found her already asleep. After the initially relief he felt disappointment, which no sooner turned into frustration.

He lay down in her bed, rigid and stressed, thoughts running wild in his mind. He thought he might go mad when he felt a hot hand on his stomach. He looked at Jamie and saw her make her way, all the way from the other side of the bed, to his side.

Her hand went up to his chest, while all of her small frame just plastered against his side. She was mumbling something but he was too distracted by her proximity to pay attention to her words. Her mouth was close to his neck, her hot breath on him. He tried to remove her, when she suddenly whimpered.

Again, her forest green eyes looked up at him, and again, there was a new emotion in her eyes: fear. He was immediately alert, but Jamie remained silent, just looking at him. Then her body started to tremble, so much that Sully was afraid something really serious was wrong with her. Then he remembered her saying it was cold, and even though she had been trying to seduce him at the time, maybe there had been some sort of truth in her statement. So he pulled the sheets and comforter on top of them and held her close, trying to bring some heat to her cold, shaking body.

Sometime later, she had finally stopped shaking.

"What's wrong?"

She just hid her face on his neck. "Come on Jay…" Sully coaxed.

"I'm in dangeeer… I'll have to be brave. You'll betray me..." The last sentence brought tears to her eyes. Then she hit him in the chest. But if was so soft, that he barely noticed, no, he was too captivated by her words. "Why? Oh why do you have to…? I hate you…"

He tried to make her stop, which it wasn't that hard, and then just looked at her tearful eyes. There were so many things Sully wanted to say to her. He closed his eyes and sighed, when he opened them she was already sleeping. He kissed her forehead and murmured, hoping that his next words would reach her, in any way, "That's a shame, Jamie, because I love you."

_End of Sully's Interlude_

Churning. An intense and painful churning on my stomach, that's what woke me up. Then there was this pain in my head, so intense I thought I was going to lose my head once and for all. Then it was the heat, not that kind of suffocating heat, but enough to make its presence known.

I had every intention of discovering the origin of the heat; instead I had to cover my mouth, for fear of puking my guts in bed. I all but flew to the side of the bed, seeing the trash can from the bathroom there, and thanking whoever had put it there. Just then I felt a hand rubbing my back. I was so startled by the presence of someone in my room I jumped forward; face straight into the trash can. That same someone, easily caught me, and whispered in my ears, "Don't be scared, it's just me."

A new wave of sickness assaulted me, before I had time to response. But of course my mind, even through the tremendous racket, was furiously spinning. What happen? How did I get to my room? Why was him in my room?** What the hell happen last night?**

Some tears of frustration were escaping my eyes. I finally stopped heaving long enough to turn to Sully and ask, "What are you doing here?" He stared at me with those bright blue eyes shining with frustration. I was about to roll my own when I caught a glimpse of bare flesh.

My eyes couldn't be stopped as they roamed his shirtless torso, down to his black tight boxers and his also bare legs. I knew I was blushing, and I knew he could clearly see that, but the one question running through my mind eclipsed every other thought. What had happened? Did we have…? No, this couldn't be happening… Oh god, this** so** couldn't be happening…

"Nothing happened, if that's what you're wondering. I found you drunk and brought you up to your room. I thought I should stay here to make sure you were okay."

I really didn't want to pick up a fight, I truly didn't, but my mouth worked almost as if it was a separate entity, "Did that include you being almost naked in my bed? Or you sleeping all snuggled up with me?"

I saw the hurt flash across his face a split second before he took his fighting stance. I had seen it so many times (most of them directed at me) that I didn't even felt surprised. He opened his mouth, as if to refute my words, but instead I saw the twinkle in his blue eyes that told me I was in big trouble.

"So… do you remember anything from last night?"

My heart stopped at that. What did that mean? I mean, he had already told me we hadn't done anything, but still his question **had** to have a double meaning. Carefully, trying to give off a nonchalant impression I said, "Of course I remember."

He got closer to me, so close that I could feel his heat on my skin, of course after a quick look down, that didn't seemed like such a difficult thing, thanks to the fact that I was also on my underwear only. He looked deep into my eyes, in search of something and then said, very confidently "You don't have a clue about what happened yesterday!"

I wanted to counter his statement, but I couldn't, it was true. So I just watch as Sully put on his clothes, and blew me a kiss, before leaving my bedroom. I wanted to kill him, until I felt the terrible headache.

I was going to the bathroom to fetch my Tylenol when I notice two of them and a glass of water on my bed stand. Then, and for the first time, I notice all the darkness in the room. I looked at my watch and saw that was well after 10 in the morning, so shouldn't be the room completely illuminated, like it was the freaking Fourth of July? But no, the curtains were covering the big frontal window. Then I glanced at the trash bin and realized something.

It had been Sully. Those little things had been him who had done them. He still remembered. A sad smile invaded my face as I watched the scene around me. He had carried me from downstairs, stayed with me and still had the time to do all of this before going to sleep.

I didn't know what to do, or say, heck, I didn't even know what to think about all this. Except I didn't really wanted to think about this, I just wanted all this to end. And since the vodka thing didn't work, I just returned to the now empty and cold bed, and tried to sleep this terrible hangover off.

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Hope you liked it, and don't forget to review :)


	10. Fear

**Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own a thing of Harper's Island. But Miss Mance is my property.**

**Again, a big thank you to everyone that took time to review this fic. A special thanks to Courtney, Kristen and Rebecca.**

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**Chapter the Tenth – **_**Fear**_

Abby was seated in my bed, watching me intently, a big frown on her face.

She came to my room a little earlier than I would've liked, wanting to share the strange news about my brother and her dad, but I wasn't really in the mood. I went for a shower, and while I was under the hot spray I made a decision.

When I came out, she was on my bed, reading a magazine. When I started to pack my bags, she caught my drift and tried to dissuade me. But today was different, I wasn't angry or crying, I was just…tired, of trying to forget, of trying to avoid him, of everything.

"I'm not changing my mind, Abbs. I'm sorry but… I just… can't be here anymore."

"If if he did something… I swear I'll kill him!" I could hear the anger in her voice. That was why I loved her like a sister; she would die to defend a friend…or in this case kill Sully for me.

I laughed, even though I didn't really want to. "He didn't do anything. This is all me."

"Then I just… Arghh… Jamie what brought this on?"

I fell on my bed, feeling we had been discussing this over and over again… "I told you yesterday I was thinking about this… I just need to be away right now, to sort my feelings; you know how I deal with things... I… **isolate **myself. This is what I want, just be away from it all."

She sighed, apparently defeated. I smiled and she just came and hugged me. "Promise me you'll wait until I return," I was about to start fighting again, when she added. "I need to go pick up some things at my dad's and I want to say goodbye to you properly. I'll take you to the docks myself! Just promise you'll stay put for a few more hours."

I promised and she left. I was alone to my devices and since my stomach was better now, I left to grab a bite.

When I reached the ground floor I could see Maggie dragging Henry back and forth and chuckled. Henry really was a good guy, I loved Maggie, but I knew you needed the patience of a saint to handle her when she was excited about something, and this wedding was definitely something to be excited about.

I went to the kitchens and served myself, receiving several looks from the employees and even a couple of offers of assistance. I politely refused them, just wanting to eat a meal in peace. Besides, I had spent my summers working here to earn a couple of bucks back in high school, this felt much more familiar than being served by anyone.

After satiating my hunger I decided to return to my room immediately. I wasn't in the mood to socialize right now and I certainly didn't want to deal with a certain blonde boy.

As always, though, my wishes weren't granted. I was getting to the staircase when Malcolm, Danny and Sully's tense faces got my attention. Then Danny noticed me and waved me over.

Malcolm looked uncomfortable, Danny and Sully looked worried, but as I approached them, Sully turned a little smug, staring at me openly.

"What's up boys?" I said, doing my best to ignore Sully's eyes.

"Have you seen Booth today?" Danny asked.

Their question surprised me. I racked my brain trying to remember the last time I had seen Booth. The last image of him I had was from the bonfire. "No, sorry. I haven't see Booth since the party on the beach. Why? What's wrong?"

"See, what did I told you? He skipped. And took…" Two pairs of eyes bored into Sully and he just stopped abruptly mid sentence. "**It** with him."

I didn't understand what they were saying, but now I was worried. "Maybe you should tell the Sheriff…" I suggested. I was just trying to help, but by the looks I received, help from the Sheriff was the last thing they wanted. I shook my head then, and returned to my original plan to hide in my room until Abby arrived.

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My bags were packed. My room was clear of any signs of my presence and the boat ticket was already reserved, courtesy of my brother. I was just waiting for Abby now. She and Jimmy would be picking me up in a couple of minutes. I had to smile knowing they were coming together. Maybe my brother knew what he was doing after all…

I went to look outside the window. People were milling around, some doing their jobs or otherwise important things, other's just enjoying the sun and the laziness. I sighed, why couldn't I be like them? Why did I have to complicate things so much? The wedding was tomorrow. I could stay for another day, couldn't I? No. I wasn't going to give in. I sat on the bed, grabbed my Ipod from my handbag and put Linkin Park blasting through my phones.

I was just finishing my favorite song when I felt a tap on my leg. I opened my eyes abruptly, pulling the phones from my ears and instinctively getting away from whoever was in the room with me.

When I saw Abby's smiling face I put a hand on my chest, as if trying to quiet my furiously beating heart. "Jeez, Abby, wanna give me a heart attack?"

She just smiled and answered, "Hey, I knocked, it's not my fault that you were so into you own little world that you didn't listen."

I blushed a little at her words and looked behind her to see my brother picking up my bags. As I was leaving the room, I remembered something.

"Hey Jimmy, we need to go visit Shane, I want to say goodbye!"

"Sure thing. Do you have everything?"

I looked around one last time and nodded and the three of us went to my brother's truck. It was then Abby suddenly remembered.

"The rehearsal is today." Jimmy and I both stared at her. She looked at her watch and said, "Like now." When she turned to me, her puppy eyes firmly in place. I knew what she was doing.

"No, no and no! There's no way I'm going to that thing. I'm not coming Abby, absolutely not!"

* * *

I stared at the back of my brother's truck, as he drove away from the church. Abby was smiling, whilst I glared in her direction. She was so infuriating.

"C'mon, loose that face. This is the rehearsal of a wedding; at least pretend you're happy."

"I just want you to know that you and Jimmy are out of my Christmas list this year." I pouted. I **so** didn't want to be there. But Jimmy had remembered, out of the blue, that he had a terribly important meeting that afternoon and that he couldn't drive me to the pier, even if I didn't go to the rehearsal. As if… My best friend, of course, took advantage of that.

So I, begrudgingly, walked in the church, in time of seeing Henry and Sully talking. I couldn't see his face, but I did hear his words.

"I never had sex with Trish."

My mouth dropped open at his statement. What the hell was he saying?

"I know," Henry responded.

"I just want to make sure. 'Cause back in the day, when you guys were broken up… I tried. A couple times. And… She rejected me, flat out."

His words stung. Henry looked past him, right into my eyes, and for the very first time in my life, I saw a glimmer in his brown eyes that somehow didn't belong, because, for a split second, it seemed as if he enjoyed what was happening.

I walked faster into the church, finding Danny and Malcolm talking and joining them. When I looked back, I could see Sully looking my way, but I ignored him the best I could.

I shouldn't feel so surprised, should I? I knew Sully had had a thing for Trish. But to actually pursue her, knowing his best friends feelings for her… I shook my head. Danny looked at me, strangely but I just put a forced smile on my face.

Maggie came in, at full speed, smiling. I looked behind her to see Abby and Henry talking. Maggie started calling the people necessary for the rehearsal. I was surprised about Booth and the boy's words. I mean, didn't they asked me where he was, just a while ago? Somehow that story seemed fishy, but I didn't care. After this I would be leaving.

The rehearsal begun as Julia started playing the organ. Then the maid of honor with the best men, which were Shea and Sully, walked down the aisle; then the rest of the bridesmaids and the groomsmen; finally the bride and the father.

After a few minutes, it was Abby's turn to read. She got up from her seat and joined the lovebirds at the altar. Maggie kept giving instructions. Then she called the father of the bride, Thomas Wellington, to light the unity candle.

As Mr. Wellington approached the altar, Abby's phone went off. She quickly turned it off. Maggie asked for someone the turn the lights off, and Abby, being the closest, volunteered. The moment she shut the lights out a noise could be heard over everyone's head. We all looked up, just in time to see a blade coming down, full speed, hitting Mr. Wellington in the head.

Then it seemed like I was in a movie, everything seemed to be in slow motion, the sound just a low humming. I could see the horrified expressions all around me. I could faintly hear Trish's anguished screams and see her tear streaked face looking at her father, trying desperately to get to him, while Henry did his best to restrain her. I could hear Madison screaming.

I was rooted in place. I couldn't move and I couldn't tear my gaze away from the body. I felt someone's hand on my arm. I looked up and found Sully's eyes on me, the concern shining in them. I tried to speak, to say something, but I couldn't.

Then, like a spell being broken, the doors opened and Sheriff Mills walked in. That's when I saw Abby's shocked form, and all but ran to her.

The Sheriff was already there. "Abby? You're okay? Hurt?" But she didn't say anything, she just kept staring ahead.

Her dad made her look at him and asked what happened. When she still couldn't speak, he turned to me, seeming to notice me only then. "Jamie, what happened?"

My eyes went to the covered body on the floor, Abby's traveled upwards, towards the chandelier and then to the body. He seemed to understand, then he grabbed both our hands, saying as soothingly as he could, "It's gonna be okay. Jamie, Abby, wait for me outside."

I didn't need to be told twice, and by the speed in Abby's steps, I guess she couldn't either.

We stood there, looking, as the rest of them slowly came out. Malcolm was the first, followed closely by Danny and Sully. His blue eyes focused on me, the concern still there. The Sheriff came out then, bringing Katherine with him. Warning us to go back to the hotel and stay together, asking for Henry and Maggie's help.

Abby sighed beside me. As I looked towards her I saw my bags near the church's doors and sighed as well. "Guess I'll have to postpone my travel plans."

My best friend smiled weakly and nodded, "I guess you will."

I picked up my bags as she picked up her cell, which was ringing.

"Hello?"

As I got closer I could hear music coming out of the cell, it sounded like a rendition of _Ave Maria_. I felt a chill at the music and soon after Abby disconnected the call.

"Who was it? Was that music?"

"I don't know. Here, let me help you."

She picked up one of my bags and we made the journey to the Candlewick in silence, both immersed in our thoughts.

* * *

The bedroom was silent. Abby was in the bathroom and I was in the main room, since I had already left my key on the main desk and I didn't want to be alone.

My head was spinning furiously. Who could've done this? Why? I did know one thing though, actually, I knew two things. This wasn't an accident and whoever did this was really cruel. I mean to kill a bride's father, during the rehearsal, only someone truly heartless would do such a thing.

Then another thought hit me. The thing that killed Wellington was a head spade. The killer used Wakefield's favorite weapon. The islanders will freak out.

Abby got out of the bathroom then, looking more serene, though I could still see the remnants of shock in her features. She tried to smile, but I shook my head, "You don't have to put up a strong front for me, Abby. I can imagine what you must be feeling."

"No you can't!" Okay, that was a little harsh. She shook her head then dropped on top of the bed and whispered, "Sorry. It's just, this… this brings so many memories. It hurts," she confessed in a small voice.

"It's okay, lashing out because it hurts it's something I know all too well."

That got me a small smile from her. I smiled in response and we sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. Her eyes keep straying to the door, and I could almost hear the gears of her mind working. She wanted to be with Henry, to show her support to Trish, to somehow try and ease the pain of the Wellington family.

"Go; don't hold back at my account."

"How… Oh well… okay, I'll go. Are sure you'll be good here, alone?"

I just nodded and allowed my head to hit a pillow. I heard the door slam shut and tried to downplay the sound effect on my now hurting head. The minutes tickled by, the pain receding, being replaced with a suffocating feeling, like a presence had take residency in my chest, compressing it. Fear…

I got up before the feeling could fully sink in and run out the door. Out in the large empty corridor the feeling seemed to be easing, but I know it wouldn't take long for it to return so I went in search of something to do or someone to talk to. I had to keep my mind occupied somehow.

As I reached the ground level I heard voices. I recognize them and all but ran to the guys. At that particular moment I didn't really care whose company I was getting.

Beth and Danny's faces were the first I've seen. Then I heard Sully and Malcolm's voices. I took a deep breath and entered the room, catching Danny's words, "What the hell was that thing?"

"I don't know, a sword maybe?" Sully said, sounding tired.

"I mean is there any chance it could've been a part of the chandelier?" Questioned Malcolm.

I knew the answer to their questions. "A head spade, Danny. And no, Malcolm, that definitely wasn't part of the chandelier," four pairs of eyes turned to me.

"A head spade? How do you know that?" Sully asked.

I went to sit next to Danny, right in front of him. "It was Wakefield's weapon of choice," I said, restraining me to add something else.

They grew quiet for a bit, but quiet was not exactly what I was aiming for. "Someone rigged that chandelier, someone murdered Wellington."

"Dude, it could've been any one of us under that," he looked at me then, the concern shinning on his blue orbs again. I felt warmed up by that and couldn't stop a small smile.

"I've never seen a dead body before," said Beth sounding so dejected I wanted to hug her, but I was distracted from her words and state of mind by Sully's next sentence.

"I have."

"What?" I said shocked.

"Dude," Malcolm said, harshly. And I swear I felt Danny tense up beside me. They were hiding something. I wanted to ask what it was, but Malcolm continued," It's gonna be okay."

Beth pretty much flipped after that, but my eyes were trained on Sully. When exactly had seen he a dead body before and how did that relate to Danny and Malcolm? The possibilities were running wild in my mind. Their talking only added to the buzz in my head, but it was soothing at the same time.

I got up, I was starting to shake and if I remained seated, Danny would notice it. I went to the window, like every other time I needed to think. Watching the outside world always had a calming effect on me. I didn't know exactly why, but it did… usually at least, but not today.

"You okay?" Danny said from behind me.

"Yeah…" He didn't buy it and said, "Did you know you're a terrible liar?"

"Yup, I've been told. I'm learning, though. You see, you just wait and one day I'm gonna lie so well to you, you won't see it coming."

He smiled. "I doubt it. But you know you can drop the act, don't you. Were all friends here," I chuckled at his words, seeing almost the same words I said to Abby earlier come to bite me in the behind.

"I know."

We were silent for a moment, before he spoke again, softly,"You don't have to be afraid, we will be in a boat back home in no time," he said, trying to comfort me. And I was about to agree and even add that I could be heading home right now when I remembered something very important. Jimmy.

Damn! How could I have forgotten my own brother?

"I can't go now…" I said loudly before I could catch myself. When I looked at Danny he was looking at me like I was crazy. To make matters worse, Sully seemed to have listened to my words as well and his concern was slowly turning into anger.

Hey, why did I care about what he thought?

The truth was I did, and I hated myself for that. But when he spoke, he did it in such a tone that it completely squelched my inner musings.

"What did you just say? You can't come now? What the hell does that mean?"

"You don't have anything to do with that," I responded harshly to Sully.

"Seriously, Jamie, what's wrong?" Danny, asked, trying to defuse the situation. I turned to him.

"Home Danny. You said it right. We would be home. But my brother's home is this island. I won't go… I can't go, knowing he would be here when there's a murder on the loose somewhere out there. I can't just abandon him… Not again," there was desperation in my voice. This day was really screwing me. I felt like I was in that TV series, _24_, because the last 24 hours had been problem after problem.

Sully butted in then, "Don't be ridiculous Jamie. Your brother is a big guy he doesn't need your protection. And what exactly do you want to do? Arm yourself with a shotgun and go to the woods looking for whoever did this? And let's not forget your brother wasn't even in the church today. There's no danger for him to stay!"

"Is that so? If there's no danger than it isn't a problem that I choose to stay behind with Jimmy, now is it?" I said defiantly.

He got closer to me, so close I had to look up to be able to see his face.

"You are going in that boat, even if I have to drag you there myself, Jamie," his tone was low and almost dangerous. For a second, I could really see him go all cavemen on me, but that only fueled my anger even more.

"Sully, let's get something straight, shall we? You're not my father, you're not my boyfriend, hell right now you're not even my friend. So I suggest you butt out of my life and if you dare, just dare to lay a finger on me, I'll make sure both Jimmy and Shane know exactly what you did, are we understood? Good."

I saw several emotions flash on his face. Anger, jealousy, pain… I felt bad and was close to apologize when he opened his mouth again.

"So were not even friends, huh? Well, that's not what you said last night," his ever present smirk making his grand appearance, just as his words sank. I shot him an indignant look and turn my back on him.

The door seemed to be beckoning and I was already half way out when Danny's voice reached me. But I didn't turn; I didn't respond I just ran. How dare he? I was shaking in anger. He was still just an idiotic boy, immature, stupid, and a jackass. And I would've continued if I hadn't see Jimmy's door just ahead of me.

That's when it hit what I had just done. I had run, all the way from the Candlewick, alone, through the woods while there was a killer on the loose. I was crazy; and this was the proof of my frazzled state of mind.

I knocked on the door, fervently hoping my brother was home, or I would have to go back, through the woods, in the dangerously darkening skies that announced a storm. And I was still shaking; only I knew it had nothing to do with anger anymore.

The door opened and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Jamie, what are you doing here?" Jimmy said with a smile. But he must have noticed my appearance and questioned, "Jamie, what's wrong?"

"Wellington was murdered."

"What!" Jimmy just stood there for a good solid minute before he notice me, then he stepped away and I entered.

I sat on the sofa and just breathed. The compressing fear on my chest abated a bit as I took in the familiar living room. Everything looked the same, and at the same time it looked different. Jimmy sat beside me, rubbing a comforting hand on my back.

"What happened?"

I started talking, walking him through the events after his departure, and not even managing to omit the bits and pieces about Sully. I was way too wired up to edit myself at that state. Halfway through it I got up, I couldn't handle being seated anymore. When he reached for my hand I all but flew into his arms. He hugged me so tightly. But I didn't care. That was what I had been craving all afternoon, without even knowing it.

"It was awful, Jimmy. All the blood… And…the body... God, I've seen bodies before, but they're usually long dead, not... recently deceased. And their screams…"

"Calm down, you're shaking," said Jimmy.

"I can't stop. I'm cold. And, god Jimmy, I'm scared!"

He held me even tighter and I felt warm for the very first time since I left that church. He truly was my protector. "I'm here now, so you don't need to be afraid, okay?" I nodded. He had uttered those exact same words after our mom died.

I couldn't understand anything of what was happening back then. Dad wasn't the most forthcoming person, a trait he passed to me, so he would never answer when I asked were mom was. Then there was this one night, I just couldn't sleep. Mom was in the hospital; dad was out somewhere, so I went to Jimmy's room. He was dead asleep and I panicked. My sobs awakened him and, instead of being mad or something, he just held me and said those words. I had a good sleep after that.

Every time I was afraid, he would say those words. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I always found them soothing, and more importantly, I felt safe.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it. And now, you could, i don't know, review maybe? :)**


	11. Mixed Emotions

**Discalimer:** I don't own anything you might recognize from the show _Harper's Island_, that belongs to CBS. What does belong to me, however, is Jamie Mance.

Hello guys! Sorry for the delay in this chapter :( I want to thank Courtney and Rebecca, for being awesome reviewers :) And to everyone else that took their time to review or add this story to their alerts. I'm glad you're enjoying this.

This chapter is the proverbial calm before the storm. After this I'm counting on starting the really intense part of this story.

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* * *

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**Chapter the Eleventh – **_**Mixed Emotions**_

Soon after the hug ended and, when my stomach rumbled rather loudly, Jimmy chuckled and went into the kitchen to make something for us to eat. I was feeling better, safer, but still accompanied him.

"How's Abby holding out?" He said while he masterfully cut some vegetables.

"She was shocked with what happened, we all were, but she recovered. When I last saw her, she was already thinking about Henry and Trish's welfare, so I guess she's okay. But all this… it brings her memories, bad ones."

He was silent after that. I was sure that it brought memories for him too. Heck, it even brought some memories to me…

_Kelly was running ahead of me. Since she was on the track team, while I was more of a science geek, it was no wonder. But I was scared. We were on our way to the meadow when we heard an explosion coming from the marina. She set out running, remembering her mom was going there to run some errands, scared out of her mind something might have happened. I was desperately trying to keep up, fighting my muddled mind to remember if dad was working today and if Jimmy might be with him._

_The mere thought that something might have happened to them was making my heart beat furiously in my chest. But I just couldn't keep up with her. I was so out of breath I couldn't even call out to her. I took deep breaths, to ease the pain on my side, just like Kelly used to say, to no avail though. _

_Not that long after I heard the sound of a car coming in the road. When I looked up, I saw, with relief, that it was my brother's truck. As he got closer to me, and got out of the car, I could see he looked worried. _

"_What happened at the marina, we heard an explosion?"I asked, disbelievingly._

"_I don't know. The sheriff told us to go home and stay there until further notice."_

"_And dad?"_

"_He's already home, waiting for us. Now get that scrawny ass in the truck and let's go home."_

_A little more at ease, I smirked at his bad mood. I knew of his plans for the weekend._

"_So I guess there will be no "camping" this weekend for you, will there?" I said making some air quotes for camping._

_He glared, "No, there will be no camping this weekend. And what's with the air quotes?"_

"_Huh, you think I don't know what camping really means?"_

_He turned to me, a little stunned. "Camping is just camping, nothing else," he said tightly._

"_Really? Well that's not what Shane says. According to him, camping means sex," I couldn't help but smile at my brother's reaction. _

"_I'm gonna have a little chat with Shane about saying those things to my little sister."_

_I was ready to respond to that when I noticed a man in the road in front of us. Something about him was off. He had a long object on his hand and seemed to be dragging a weight. When my eyes focused on that weight, my entire body froze. The weight was a person._

"_Jimmy…" I murmured as I grabbed his arm, fearfully._

_He was looking in that direction too. But he seemed to see something else. I couldn't take my eyes off that man. It was like I was hypnotized. Then the man raised the object and struck the person down. _

Thankfully the sound of my brother's voice brought me back to the present. He seemed worried so I smiled, "So, what have you cooked, exactly?

* * *

The sheriff arrived to interview me at my brother's house. When I saw his car parking in the driveway, I gulped. I was anticipating a bad berating. The sheriff didn't disappoint and after making me feel like a misbehaved child (all the while Jimmy glared at me behind his back), he collected my statement. I answered to all of his questions, but there was nothing important in my statement and after a short conversation with Jimmy, he left.

The night had fallen, and, after a ride from my brother I was heading to my room, only to remember I didn't have a room anymore. So instead I headed to Abby's room, but I after long minutes of knocking, no one answered.

I was pondering my next move when someone spoke, "Abner's out."

I jumped a mile high. My heartbeat increasing exponentially as Sully's form appeared out of the shadows. My fright turn into to irritability and I glared in his direction. To which he seemed completely unfazed, because he continued talking.

"I saw her sneak out with Henry a couple of hours ago. Don't know where they went. Don't really care. Then I saw **you**, sneak up the stairs…"

I didn't let him finish, "And decided to spy on me and scare me shitless? Good job, then, Sully."

He shook his head and approached, bringing something up to his lips, a beer bottle. That's when I noticed the way he was slightly dragging his feet.

"You're drunk?"

He laughed. "So? You were drunk yesterday, why couldn't I be today? Besides I saw a guy get killed. I think I'm perfectly entitled to get drunk," then wiggled his eyebrows and got closer to me. "Maybe you could join me?" he said, while he reached to caress my face, a smirk on his beautiful lips.

I took a step back, and he sighed at my reaction.

"Or not… Either way, why don't you wait in my room for her to return?" He suggested.

"I don't think so," I said as I slid to the floor.

"Are we afraid, Mance?"

I snorted. "Of you? Please, you couldn't scare me even if you tried," still, I didn't like the smirk that returned to his face. It spelled trouble.

"Yeah, I guess I'm not that scary. Perhaps, what you're really afraid is of yourself. After last night… I would be too."

I clenched my fists and got up from the ground. "What exactly happened last night, Sully?"

"Oh, wouldn't you want to know…"

I got closer to him, and said, "Yeah, I really would."

I only realized the mistake in my ways when he cornered me in between his arms. Suddenly his eyes weren't so glazed, and his moves were much more confident and precise. I narrowed my eyes. Sully could hold his liquor pretty well, he had tones of experience on that field, his liver probably didn't fare that well, but that's beside the point. The point is, he was acting way more coordinated than any intoxicated person I had ever seen…

"Let me go, Sully. Now!"

His face got closer, too close for comfort. "What happens if I don't? Are you afraid to lose control? Are you afraid you'll jump me?"

"No."

His lips grazed mine, slightly, and I couldn't stop my eyes from fluttering shut. But when he pulled back, and I realized he was teasing me, I snapped. I brought my knee high and hit him. He immediately groaned and doubled over in pain, cursing.

"Why… What… Damn it Jamie, do you want to castrate me, or something?"

"NO! I just want you to understand!"

_Sully's Interlude_

He wasn't in a good mood to start with. A murder; the second dead body he has seen since he got to the island. He so didn't want to be here. Especially after that fight he had with her.

It stung. It hurt, more than he wished to admit it. But as the afternoon wore on he got to do some thinking. Henry was right, he had to do something. So he thought that easy banter and teasing would get him what he wanted and at the same time, alleviate the fear he had seen in her eyes earlier.

And he was wrong. The pain in his privates was a living proof of that. He should've known better. Jamie Mance wasn't like the other girls, with or without a murder. But he never thought he could be this wrong. She was crying and he could clearly see the pain in her eyes. Damn, he couldn't do anything without screwing up, could he?

"What? What do you want me to understand?" He asked, because he could really use the knowledge.

She turned her back to him. Then sighed deeply and turned back. Her green eyes still shining with the unshed tears, but she was calmer, more composed. The pain, though, was still clear as day on her face.

"Have you ever been heartbroken, Sully? I have. I don't trust easily, I don't share easily, but I did, once. And everything came crashing down around me. That night, you didn't just hurt me; you broke my heart into tiny little pieces… which I'm still trying to find and put together. And because my heart was shattered once before, I don't trust it anymore. I… I can't trust you again. I won't go through that again. I don't want to. I'm sorry."

She left. He wanted to go after her, badly. But he didn't. Because that was the first time he realized the damage he'd done.

But she was wrong, very much so. And he swore he was going to make it right. He swore he was going to show her the truth and hopefully, he would be able to mend what he so carelessly broken.

_End of Sully's Interlude_

I found the door I was looking for and knocked. It took some time, and every minute it passed by I was reconsidering turning back and then the door cracked open. Oh, what was I doing?

"Jamie? What's wrong, did something happen?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

"No Danny, nothing's wrong, it's just… I kind of don't have a room. And, I was wondering if…"

He closed the door for a second and then opened it wider, so I could pass. The room was bathed in the moonlight. He went to his bed and turned the bed side lamp on, then turned to me.

"So… you take the bed, I take the couch."

"No, this is your room. I take the couch, and forget that whole chivalry thing, okay?"

He seemed so tired. I got closer to him and hugged him. "Go back to sleep, I'll arrange something. Don't worry about me. And thank you for letting me stay. Abby is out somewhere and I didn't feel like sleeping in the hallway tonight."

He didn't need to know my plan was just that until it was thwarted by Sully.

Like I suspected, he was too tired to fight so he kissed my forehead, wished me a good night and went right back to sleep.

I made my bed on the couch and lay down, but I couldn't find the sleep like Danny did. I never meant to say those things. But I just couldn't take it anymore. I was too confused; too tired I just wanted it to stop. It was easier for me to say I hated him, to think I hated him. It was easier because it hurt less. But now, being so close to him, interacting with him, I was getting mixed up. My true feelings were resurfacing, and unfortunately, they never came alone. The pain was there, dull now, but still there.

Eventually I fell on an uneven sleep. Constantly awakening and tossing and turning. My dreams were a mixture of gore images and blue eyed and blonde haired figures.

When I closed my eyes for the last time, the moonlight had almost disappeared, being slowly replaced with daylight.

* * *

An insistent noise woke me up. It took me a couple of seconds to get my bearings and another minute to fully wake up and realize someone was knocking on the door.

On my way over I didn't hear the shower running or saw Danny on the bed, which meant I was all alone. Not that I didn't enjoyed Danny's company, far from it, I was just not up for questions.

I opened the door and found Abby on the other side.

"Good morning, Abbs! If you came to see Danny he's not here."

She smiled and answered, "Good morning, Jamie! I know he's not here, who do you think told me where you were? I'm sorry to have left you out; I completely forgot you didn't have a room," she said, giving me a guilty look.

"No worries. I would appreciate some clean clothes, though, so…"

"Of course, let's go."

On the way there she told me about her adventure with JD, the dead body that turned out to be Uncle Marty, about taking Henry and JD to her dad's attic and then the creepy exhumation of Wakefield's body. I shivered at her story, feeling the fear slowly return.

"I still can't believe you dug up a corpse Abby. Eww."

She laughed slightly. "Yeah, well, I needed to know. But I did feel pretty eww too."

We were just about to enter Abby's room when two deputies passed us by.

"Why are they here?"

"Dad is searching every room, to try and find who did this."

We were silent after that, the slight playfulness of before now gone. The murder was on the forefront of my mind, and I bet in Abby's too. I just wanted to forget it, and to Mr. Mills get whoever did this. I just wanted the fear to disappear completely.

I sighed and I recount my day to her, the fight, the running (to which she glared at me, much like Jimmy had done) and then the reason I camped in Danny's room that night. To which she profusely apologized, even if she didn't have any blame in the matter.

We kept talking until I went to have a shower. Then it was Abby's turn and, to keep me occupied, I started packing Abby's things. She came out and we carried on our conversation while she took over the packing.

When we got downstairs Jimmy came in. I smiled at Abby and, before she could rope me into staying with them, I skipped. My brother smiled gratefully at me, while Abby gave me a nervous look. I smiled at both of them and left, not really knowing where I was going.

* * *

Their talk was kinda short, at least in my point of view. And I'm guessing, by the look on my brother's face, for him too. He just hugged me and left, not even letting me tell him about my decision to stay with him for a few days.

Abby walked outside. She looked very absorbed in her thoughts, as if she was far away from here. I let her think, getting absorbed in my thoughts myself.

"What happens to those two now?"

I followed her eyes and saw Trish closing the door, while Henry looked dejectedly at the spot where his fiancée stood.

"I don't know. How can you recover from seeing your father being murdered?"

"I don't know."

I looked at her for a second and saw the raw pain in her face. Seven years had passed, but my friend was still hurting for her dead mother, she was still healing.

Henry got near us in that moment and I left the two to talk privately. He too, had a sad look on his face. In that moment he needed his best friend more than I did.

They didn't talk for long. When Abby got closer I could see how pale she was. I was about to ask if she needed to sit down, but she beat me to it saying, "Dad says JD's the killer."

I was stunned. I guess for most people it wouldn't come as a shock. I don't really know why it shocked **me** so much, but it did.

"How..."

"Dad found Uncle Marty's cell on his things. He was the one that led me to his body. God, how could he have done this to Henry? To his own brother?"

"Kelly… He was with her the day she died… What if he killed her? He killed two people already, why not Kelly too?"

She looked at me, pondering the scenario. "I don't know… I mean, it's possible. But, don't you think…"

"I thought you agreed with me on this? Kelly didn't kill herself! She was happy, you said it yourself. Her death never made sense and now it does. JD murdered my friend," I could feel the anger pulsating in my veins. He had killed her, I was sure of that.

I marched into the hotel, leaving Abby to her devices. I was **that** pissed. I wanted to go talk with the Sheriff. I wanted to find JD and… I don't know what I wanted to do. Oh God, when would this all end?

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This is it, guys. Hope you all enjoyed it. Drop me a line, okay? :)


	12. Complications

**Discalimer:** Anything you recognize from the show, _Harper's Island_, doesn't belong to me (sadly). But my dear Jamie Mance is all mine :)

**Hi guys! The things are starting to heat up for our beloved (and not so beloved) characters. The reality of the situation is finally setting in and everything is about to get hectic. I hope you enjoy the chapter and review too :)**

**And now it's time to thank everyone that helped me so far. For everyone that reviewed, that added me to their favorites or simply to their alerts... I thank you! For Courtney, for Rebecca and for Kristen... a very special thanks for all the support. You girls totally rock :)**

**And on a side note to Rebecca - Thanks for the tidbit about Wakefield's weapon and I will most certainly be finishing this story. I'm in too deep now :)**

* * *

**Chapter the Twelfth - **_**Complications**_

I returned to Abby's room to try and stifle my rage. But pacing around the room alone wasn't doing the trick. I tried to calm my breathing, I tried to hear music, I to think about other stuff, but my mind continued consumed with thoughts of Kelly.

I decided I couldn't wait, so I left, to go to the Sheriff's station. I was almost at the end of the corridor when a door opened and Sully and Danny walked out. Their faces were dark, like they were angry or something.

"I still can't believe he did that, man. His friend! He let Booth die!"

Both boys stopped short when they saw me in the, otherwise empty, corridor.

"Booth's dead?" I was too stunned to say anything else.

Sully nodded. I sighed. Another death, this was starting to be too much.

"What happened?" Then I remembered Danny's words. "Who left Booth to die?"

"Let's go to my room. We can talk there," Sully said.

After we got in the room, they took their sweet time telling me the whole story. I was astonished about their attitude. Taking money they found on a boat, money literally stained with blood if one took in consideration the dead body beside it, then try and hide it, only to end with someone's death. It was sad, so incredibly sad.

But I could see their anger. Specially Danny's, his usual calm demeanor was disturbed, his dark eyes were blazing and he kept pacing. Sully looked more sad and disappointed than angry. He sat in the bed, leaning forward on his arms where they rested on his knees. I left my perch on the dresser and went to his side. He looked at me instantly and I hugged him, the best I could in that sideways position.

He tensed for a second before relaxing, my movement stunning him. But I knew what it felt like to lose a friend and a hug was the least I could do.

Only, that memory made me end the hug; that and the anger that I could feel resurfacing. I looked down at my watch. It was a little after 1 pm. I had heard, on my way up, that the Sheriff had left with several men and dogs in search of JD, but that had been quite a while ago, maybe he was already back at the station.

Before I left, though, I looked at the state of disarray in the room and said, "You should start packing, Sully. By this mess it'll take you quite a while."

He just smiled and shook his head, probably wondering about my moods swings, as much I was at that moment.

* * *

The police station appeared quiet. Although I knew the rage was simmering just below the surface I forced my steps to be slow, trying to regain my composure. When I entered I prayed that the deputy on duty today was one different from that leering guy I met the first time I've come to visit Shane.

I was lucky this time. The on duty officer just smiled at me and let me pass. Shane was probably the only prisoner and he had been there when Sheriff Mills announced I had a free pass to see Shane anytime I wanted.

My friend was lying down on the small cot looking bored out of his mind.

"Shane," I said softly. He turned to me and smiled.

"Came to say goodbye, Shorty? I heard that the wedding was cancelled."

At my lack of response he sobered up and frowned, worry crossing his features.

"What happened?" He asked furrowing his brows.

I felt the tears clogging my throat. "You were right, Shane. He killed her."

"What?"

"JD killed her, Shane. He killed his uncle and Wellington. He killed her too. JD killed Kelly and made it seem like a suicide."

He was silent, for a minute, then he extended his hand through the bars and I took it. He slightly pulled me to him, and we shared and awkward hug through the metal bars of the cell. When it was over, he passed a hand through my cheek, a touch far gentler than any other Shane had ever made. I must've been worse than I thought if I managed to invoke this gentle, caring and mostly unseen side of him.

"Don't be sad, Shorty. He'll pay one way or the other. I'll make sure of that."

I just nodded. We talked for a few more minutes before the sound of voices interrupted our conversation. I kissed Shane's cheek and murmured, "Thanks." before leaving. He grinned in my direction.

When I walked out, to the main room, of that small Sheriff's station, I saw what the commotion was all about. In the centre of the room, in cuffs, was JD Dunn. Sheriff Mills and Henry were a little behind him. I marched up to their prisoner and slapped him, with as much force as I had.

Everyone was stunned, but when I raised the hand a second time, Henry jumped forward and restrained me.

"Jamie! What are you doing? What's this all about?" The sheriff roared, clearly upset.

"He killed her, sheriff. He killed Kelly!" I spat getting more worked up by the second. Henry tensed up while JD looked up at me.

"No I didn't! How many times will I have to say I didn't kill anyone?" The annoyance on his voice fueled my rage, until he locked eyes with me. "I liked Kelly, I cared about her. What is more than we can say about you, Jamie. I didn't abandon her, **you **did. I didn't turn my back to her when she needed the most, **you** did. All that anger, Jamie… That's guilt."

I tried to break free, but Henry was strong. I wanted to hurt JD so bad... Because, part of me, agreed with him.

"Jamie, you know I can't talk about an ongoing investigation…"

I turned my attention to Abby's dad, "Then you know she was murdered, she didn't kill herself, right? Right?" I knew I wasn't being very rational about this, but I really needed to know.

At that JD looked up, towards the sheriff, he stiffly nodded and took JD to the cell. As I watched him disappear from view I noticed Henry's arms were still around me. I cleared my throat and wriggled a little uncomfortably.

He finally let go of me and when I turned to him, he was a little flushed, but his eyes were sad. He murmured a soft, "Sorry," and walked away from me.

The Sheriff came out a little after that, looking tired. He almost seemed surprised to see me there still. I walked up to him, but he spoke before any words could leave my lips.

"I can't tell you anymore than what I already told you, Jamie. The Washington State Patrol will be here in the morning to take JD, let them take care of it. Henry, why don't you take Jamie to the Candlewick? The boat will leave soon, right?"

I hadn't even noticed Henry's approach until the sheriff call out to him.

"Sure. It's scheduled to leave at four. Come on Jamie."

I sighed and left, knowing I wouldn't get anything else from the Sheriff. We made the trip in complete silence. When we got to the Candlewick, he turned to me and said, "For all it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. He killed her, not you," he turned and was about to go in when it was my turn to stop him.

"She'll come around, Henry. Trish loves you; she won't be silly enough to let you go."

He just smiled and left.

* * *

As I watched my brother and best friend talk in a carefree way, I couldn't help but grin. Earlier, when I returned to Abby's room from the police station, I found her smiling. It took a little probing, but soon I found out all about the kiss. I laughed at the part where Jimmy refused to kiss her because he was covered in fish, but she kissed him anyway. I found her gesture oddly romantic.

All in all I was contented. They were finally making way in the right direction, and they deserved all the happiness in the world. I cursed myself when my eyes fell onto Sully's form descending the stairs. Why couldn't we work it out?

I shook my head as my brother came to my side, enveloping me in a long hug.

"I'm gonna miss you sis."

"Me too. But from what I saw there with Abby, you will have all the more reasons to come visit me in L.A." I said, referring to their short kiss.

He smiled happily, while watching Abby. "Yeah, I will."

"Or you could just save us the trouble and move to L.A. already," I said making puppy eyes at him, "Please?"

"Don't be silly, you know I would hate L.A. Plus, who would keep Shane from getting into trouble?"

"You'd drag him to L.A. too. That way, you would be able to keep his ass out of jail and I wouldn't have to go so much time without seeing my two favorite fishermen."

He smiled and hugged me again, the good mood of just seconds ago being replaced with the sadness of goodbye.

"I promise you I'll visit more often."

I could almost taste the tears, so I didn't say anything, and just hugged him tighter.

As he left, I turned to go to the cars. My eyes locked with Sully's for a second, when Henry descended the stairs, a worried look on his face. "Hey guys! Guys. We need help finding Madison."

No one spoke for a second, sharing a look. I could see they weren't all that okay with the idea of staying behind to help, the murders still fresh on their minds. But Madison was a child after all.

"Okay," I said stopping just beside Sully's tall frame.

Next came Cal's words, "Of course, yeah..." He came out of the car and extended his hand to Chloe. She hesitated a second before accepting his hand.

Sully swore under his breath and I elbowed him, making him glare at me. I return the glare intensely. Couldn't he at least pretend he wasn't so damn selfish?

Turning to Henry I said, "We should separate, to cover more ground."

The groom agreed and took charge of the situation. Shea, Trish and Katherine join us after that. The anguish was written all over the oldest Wellington daughter. I could only fathom what she was feeling right now. I had to say something, at least to try and ease her mind.

"We'll find her, Shea. She's probably playing somewhere and just lost track of time."

She smiled tightly at me, while Trish gave me a look of gratitude. Maggie joined us then, saying she had the key of the room she had given Richard the night before, after the revelation of his betrayal with Mrs. Wellington.

Trish and Shea accompanied her. Henry, Abby and Katherine got the grounds surrounding the Inn; Cal and Chloe got the main floor; finally Danny, Beth, Sully and I got the upper floors.

As our group separated and the boys and Beth headed inside, I felt a chill running down my spine, like something bas was about to happen. I shook my head, praying that I was wrong.

* * *

Everything was empty, another room, and another failure. We entered a room, the customary, "MADISON!" on our lips. Beth looked around, a slight look of confusion on her face.

"Isn't this Malcolm's room?" She asked.

I tensed as Sully curtly answered, "Yeah."

"Any chance he would go down to the boat without his bag?" She insisted.

"He's gotta be around," Danny said.

Sully looked like he wanted to hurt Malcolm, but simply said, "Malcolm is a big boy, alright? Let's just focus on finding the kid."

Beth gave one last look at the room, a little sad. I did too, wondering where Malcolm could be. Should he had run, there was no way Sully or Danny would ever forgive him.

We continued our search of the bedrooms but got no luck in finding Madison. And to make matters worse, Beth looked more frightened by the second and Sully had becoming more and more vocal in his displeasure. Only Danny and I continued focused.

After the last room, I made a suggestion. "Let's go to the kitchen, there are a lot of hiding places there and I know almost all of them," at their looks I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I used to work here in the summers."

They said nothing and followed my lead.

We kept calling her name. When we got downstairs, near the kitchen, I could swear I heard a giggle, but when the four of us got in, the room was empty. Again I felt that chill but actually shivered this time. I felt a hand on my shoulder and almost jumped. It was just Sully, though.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… just a little cold."

He shrugged his dark jacket off and offered it to me. I was about to refuse when he simply put it around my shoulders and took off. It was very warm, but it looked huge on me, so much so that I had to fold the sleeves a couple of times to actually see my hands. As I turned my head, I couldn't help but be enveloped in his scent, that was a mixture of his cologne and something that I couldn't name, but always reminded me of him.

I walked closer to the boys, in time to hear Danny slightly scolding Sully. For his words it seemed the blonde was once again complaining about having to stay behind and help find the little girl.

I shook my head and wandered to the pantry, but found it empty again. I was getting a little frustrated with all of this. Where could she be? We had searched every room upstairs, the kitchen, the pantry and nothing. Not even a sign that she had been there. Since no one had called yet, I figured the others hadn't found her either. I walked back to the boys and Beth, whispering to the empty room, almost as a prayer, "Where are you Madison?"

* * *

We met with Trish, Shea, Cal and Chloe in the lounge of the Candlewick. The girls looked a little pale and Shea was crying softly near her sister. Cal told me of their findings, while holding a shaking Chloe. I blanched at the thought of another dead. What was going on? This was starting to be like…

I stopped that thought short. It couldn't be like that…or could it?

Danny was seated beside me, trying to comfort Beth. Cal and Chloe were on a big and comfy looking chair, although I didn't really believe they were appreciating it, and Sully was beside me. His leg was bouncing, like it always did when he was nervous. I put a hand on his knee, effectively stopping it as he blue eyes snapped to my green ones.

Our gaze was broken when we heard voices in the main entrance. Henry, Katherine and Abby walked in, breathless. Henry was the first to speak, his voice grave, "We have a problem."

Between himself and Abby, Henry explained us the situation. I was shocked; Shea was devastated; Trish was pacing, and Abby couldn't sit still. Sully spoke then.

"What does that mean, if anybody leaves she dies? Who's anybody?"

"I think it's all of us," Henry answered.

Beth posed an interesting question, "Yeah, but it's anyone from the wedding or anyone from the island?"

Abby answered, and I could see the worry in her face. "All I know is what she said."

"Why would Madison call you instead of someone in our family?" Katherine said.

I glared in her direction, at the tone of her voice. I was about to open my mouth, when I heard Shea's distraught voice.

"How did she sound? Was she scared?"

Abby was speechless and I knew it wasn't because she didn't know the answer to Shea's query; it was more like she thought Shea didn't really wanted the answer to that question. Again, it was Sully who broke the silence.

"How… How do we know it's not one of her creepy games?"

"Sully!" I almost yelled. Couldn't he be a little more sensitive?

"Oh Sully please," Trish said at the same time I did.

"How'd she make the phone call?" All heads turned to Cal, so he continued, "The sheriff arrested JD for the murder of Trish's dad, right?"

"Not only, but yes," I answered, catching up to what he was getting at. "So if JD is in jail who told Madison to call Abby?"

"Maybe they don't have the killer... You guys just found Richard," Danny said.

Cal continued, "And who was that we found in the incinerator?"

Sully's hand brushed mine for a second, making me realize that I was still touching him. I looked at him, but didn't remove my hand.

"So far it's been Trish's dad, Richard and now Madison," he glanced in the Wellington women direction, before continuing. "I… I hate to say it, but it seems to me this is Wellington business."

I wanted to hit him. Couldn't he be a little more tactful? Couldn't he feel the tension rising? And what good would a fight between us do?

"Oh c'mon," Henry said.

"It's got nothing to do with the rest of us," he insisted.

Chloe's voice joined in the discussion, siding with Sully. "He's right! When they said anybody they probably meant her family."

"How can you say that? This is a little girl we're talking about" Trish snapped.

"Yeah and she's a Wellington," Sully finished.

"Hey Sully would you shut up for a minute, you have no idea what's going on here… My uncle Marty was killed too."

"Uncle Marty!" Danny shouted.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sully asked.

Abby answered for Henry.

"We just found out yesterday."

Chloe jumped on Abby, replying snidely, "You knew you just didn't say anything."

"Hey watch it Chloe! It wasn't Abby place to tell, okay?" I said upset. These people needed to turn their anger elsewhere, not my friend.

Cal, always the peacemaker said, "Perhaps we should just take a moment."

But as I looked around, I knew this was not going well. The emotions were high. Sooner or later someone would say or do something bad. As I looked at Sully I wished it wasn't him.

"No…No I'm out of here," Sully said standing up, looking back at me, as if silently asking me to join him.

Shea walked in his way, looking pleadingly at the blonde boy. "Please, don't leave. This is my daughter we're talking about!"

"C'mon man this isn't about you, this is about…"

But Sully didn't let him finish.

"Why is her life any more important than any of ours?"

Trish lost it at his words and slapped him. Hard. Everyone was silent after that. He looked around and I could see the pain on his face. I stood up, but before I could do anything, Sully stormed out of the room.

Shea and Danny both started to go after him, but I stopped them and said, "No, let me," then I followed him.

* * *

It took me almost half an hour to find Sully. I was close to give up when I heard a couple of expletives coming from the room used for the bachelorette's party. As I got to the room, I found him pacing, in front of pieces of what once was a vase.

"You better hide that very well. You've just broken one of Maggie's favorite vases," I said finally entering the room. He turned around quickly and muttered something under his breath, before returning his attention to the mess he had made.

I crouched near him, helping him clean up the shards, only then noticing the cut on his right hand. I went to grab his hand, but he pulled away, grumbling again.

"Okay, what's with the grumbling? Now, let me see that. If it's too deep you might need stitches."

But he still didn't budge. He just stood there, looking me in the eye, as if looking for something. "You think I'm wrong," he said, and I could make out the small hint of accusation on his voice.

"Not exactly. I mean you were pretty insensitive. What if it was someone **you** loved? Put yourself in their shoes and tell me what would you have done then?"

That got him still long enough for me to be able to move towards him and grab his hand. I got a closer look at the wound, making Sully hiss and grunt occasionally. I went to patch up the wound right away, glad to have something other to think about than the mess this wedding had become.

* * *

**And this is it for today boys and girls. Tell me your thoughts :)**


	13. Take Flight

**Disclaimer: **Sadly for me, I own nothing of Harper's Island show. Only Jamie Mance.

**Hello folks! **

**First I need to thank Rebecca and Courtney for their lovely reviews, they put a huge smile on my face. Then to Kristen, for being my faithful beta. And to finish, to everyone else that reviewed this baby of mine.**

**So here's the chapter... And at the end, there's a little something for those who root for Jamie and Sully. **

**

* * *

****Chapter the Thirteenth – **_**Take Flight**_

The night fell over the island. After patching his hand Sully and I returned to the others. No one was really paying much attention anyway. Danny made space for us in the couch and Sully grabbed my hand.

I looked startled at our hands. Never, in the entire time we had known each other had he held my hand. I didn't know what to make of it. After out talk, I thought he understood where I stood, and now, here he was, holding my hand.

"Stop staring at it," he said in my ear. I looked up startled. "This is not me trying to put any moves on you. It's just a friend helping another, okay. No need to freak out."

"I'm not freaking out!" I muttered but he wasn't looking at me anymore.

It wasn't long before Chloe became restless. She and Cal had been talking in hushed tones when she got up from the seat, letting her boyfriend take her place, and went around the room, looking for something.

A few minutes later she emerged in the room again, armed with a pencil and a paper pad. When she started to recite names aloud, I realized she was making a list of the deaths so far.

"Okay… Who have I forgotten, who haven't we seen?" She turned to Trish and said, "Your cousin Ben didn't arrive. Beth and I have been calling Lucy for days, she hasn't answer."

The whole thing seemed pretty morbid, but she was on a roll. Beth decided to add, "I know she's dead. I can feel it"

"Henry's uncle was killed, Mr. Wellington, Richard, maybe the minister. Anybody seen Malcolm or Booth?"

Sully's hand squeezed mine at the mention of his friends, the first real response I had gotten out of him in a long time. "Chloe, stop, please. You're not helping," I glanced at Danny and saw that he too, wasn't looking very good.

Cal agreed with me, "Chloe darling, you should listen to Jamie on this matter, please?"

"We don't know if these things are all related," Danny said matter-of-factly.

"Of course they are. It's happened here before and it's happening again! We're all sitting ducks, getting picked off one by one."

"Chloe would you please shut up!" Trish snapped.

"Everybody's thinking it, Trish, it's not just me."

Trish led Shea out of the room. Chloe stood in the middle of it, just looking at the rest of us. Only then I realized that I hadn't seen Abby, Henry or Maggie in a while. I was wondering where they could be, when suddenly, the lights went out.

It was my turn to squeeze Sully's hand as the entire Inn was engulfed in darkness. "What the hell…" He said, standing up and taking me with him.

Chloe run to Cal's side, grabbing his hand, while the English man did his best to soothe her. Danny was on my other side. We all heard the sound of steps on the hallway and both boys slightly put themselves in front of me.

It was just Maggie though. "Is everyone okay?" I stepped forward and got closer to her.

"Yeah. What's happening Maggie? Why are the lights out?" I asked.

Danny stepped forward then, saying, "Somehow I don't think this is a coincidence."

I felt Sully coming up behind me and his hand resting on the small of my back as he said, "You're right, man. Maggie, you have guns in here, don't you? 'Cause I think we need to start thinking about protecting ourselves if we're gonna stay and find the kid."

Maggie nodded and said, "I don't think this is a good idea… But follow me."

Danny, Sully and Cal then followed her into the corridor, to the cupboard where the guns were kept.

Maggie was the first to return, not long after, a worried look on her face.

"I don't like this Jay. I really don't. The idea of having a bunch of frat boys hanging around with guns isn't really appealing to me."

"It's necessary, Maggie. Hey, have you checked the fuses yet? Maybe this is just a burned circuit," I said even though I wasn't that convinced. She gave me a disbelieving look but grabbed a flashlight from a nearby table and together we went to check.

* * *

Just as we were getting back to the lounge, I heard Sully asking, "Hey, where's Jamie?"

Maggie was ahead and promptly said, "We've just checked the fuses…they're fine."

Sully, Danny and Henry all carried weapons. If the situation didn't seemed bad already, seeing them all armed made a sense of impending doom fall over me. I entered the room, going to stand beside Abby.

Beth, sounding scared, asked, "What does that mean?"

It was Sully who answered. "It means, whoever cut the phone lines cut the power. Could be the whole island."

"Do you have a generator?" Henry asked looking at Maggie.

"Yeah, but it's old," she answered.

"Well we need to get it running right away."

Before Maggie could give instructions on where to find that ancient thing, we all heard a noise. The room fell into a heavy silence and looks were shared between the group.

The guys started forward, towards the noise, as it increased.

I moved a little bit closer to Abby, just as Henry said, "Hey, who is that?"

I could see a shadow approaching. My heart was beating madly, and I grabbed my friend's arm.

They raised their shotguns.

"Say something," Sully spoke then. "You better say something or you're gonna die."

"Whoa, whoa!" someone said and I recognized my brother's startled voice immediately.

I felt the tension leaving my body, as I jumped forward, relieved and worried about my big brother's presence in the Inn. The last thing I wanted was to see him hurt by the possible lunatic that seemed to be targeting this wedding party, but at the same time, having him near made me feel a little bit better.

"Lower you guns, boys, it's just Jimmy," I said as I passed them faster than a bullet and approached him, Abby following me closely. He deposited a kiss on my forehead and gave me a worried look.

"'Say something or you're gonna die?' What the hell's going on around here?" He asked, glancing in Sully's direction, before settling is eyes on me.

"Long story short…" I started.

"...Someone else was killed, Shea's husband, Richard and their daughter Madison is missing," finished Abby for me, impatiently.

He turned to me, a very upset look on his face. "Why didn't you call me, Jay?"

"The phones are dead. Landline and cell phones alike," he was still glaring. "I'm sorry."

Jimmy opened his mouth, probably to keep scolding me, when Chloe stepped forward.

"You've got a truck. You can take us to the boat."

"That's why I came, I didn't see you girls on it when it left," he said, looking at me and Abby.

"It left?" I heard Trish ask.

"Like a half hour ago," my big brother answered.

I could see the panic spread in Trish's face. Henry went to her side immediately. Shea asked, in a little voice, the pain drenching it, "Why would they leave?"

"They wouldn't," Trish said, as if she was trying to convince herself more than Shea.

"They didn't know about Madison," Cal said matter-of-factly. "Like Jamie pointed out earlier, the phones have been down."

Henry squeezed Shea's shoulder as he spoke, as soothingly as he could, "We have to trust Madison's okay."

Shea started to cry then.

"Either way, we don't have to stay here anymore."

I looked sharply in Sully's direction, and I wasn't the only one.

"What… How's that?" Henry asked disbelievingly.

"A boat full of people just left the island. Doesn't matter what we do now."

I grabbed his arm. He looked down at me and I hissed, "Remember our conversation, earlier?"

He ignored me, although I could see a flicker of remorse on his blue eyes.

"Madison is still missing!" Henry said, outraged.

"I don't understand, how the hell are we getting out of here?"

I turned to Beth trying to calm her down. "We will find a way, but we have to find Madison first."

Of course, Sully couldn't give it a rest, and while pointing at my brother, said, "You… You can get us out of here on your boat."

"We'll pay you!" Beth said.

"What!" Trish sounded pretty pissed.

"Yeah, anything you want!" Chloe added.

"Jimmy's not taking anyone, anywhere, until we find Madison. What is wrong with you people?" I snapped at the three of them.

"Well I'm sorry if I don't suffer from your stupid hero complex, but I want to get out of here."

If it wasn't for Abby's hand on my arm, I would've slapped Chloe silly, I truly would. As it was, I turned my focus to Henry that was scolding Sully. My brother spoke from my side, actually paying attention to the groom's words.

"I tried the Sheriff on the CB, I couldn't get an answer."

"Then will try the short-wave at the Sheriff's station, its battery powered," Abby said, already coming up with a suitable solution.

"Yeah… Okay. You two go to the station, see if you can get a hold of the mainland. Abby, don't take any chances."

Abby took Henry's shotgun and replied, "You either."

They left, and I had half a mind to follow them when I remembered about the generator.

"Hey, Henry, do you still want to go turn the generator on?"

The dark haired boy turned to me and nodded. "I just need another weapon."

I moved towards the door, the anger swirling inside of me still, when someone grabbed my arm. I turned around sharply, but it was just Trish.

"Thanks," I looked stunned at her. "For sticking up for us… "

"It's okay Trish."

I really wasn't expecting that. She smiled and left for her sister's side. Chloe glared at me from across the room, but I ignored her. It wasn't worth it to pick a fight now, even if she had been the one that started it. I felt someone watching me and turned to find Sully. It was my turn to glare.

I knew he was scared, so was I, but why couldn't he understand? Was it that hard? Was Chloe right, about that hero complex thingy? I didn't think so, but before I could contemplate anymore of this, Henry was back, Danny a little ways behind him.

"Lead the way, Jamie."

* * *

Once outside, the boys engaged in a conversation. Henry threw a worried look in my direction when Danny spoke about punishment about taking the money, but my friend grimly said I knew all about this already and kept going.

Near the generator, Henry said, "Maybe you should get back inside, Jamie."

"I'd rather stay with you guys," I answered, weighing the pros and cons of going inside that more than hostile environment. I knew I was probably overreacting, so sue me; they weren't making things exactly easy.

He simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders and returned his attention to the generator.

* * *

They did it. It took some time and some creative thinking on Henry's part, but the power was finally on. Elated with the accomplishment the three of us made our way inside, only to find the lounge empty. We searched almost the entire ground floor before we heard a noise in the kitchen, which was where we found the three Wellington women.

"Where is everybody?" Henry asked. But it didn't take a genius to figure that one out. They had left. They left a child to her luck.

"I'm gonna kill him!" I muttered, just as Henry reassured Shea they weren't going anywhere.

Henry tried to talk me into staying behind, where it was safe, but I categorically refused. He whispered something to Danny and we left, to look for them in the only logical place: the marina.

We walked in silence. Henry kept a very rapid pace, a short way from running, I couldn't see his face in the darkness, but I could certainly imagine the dark look on his handsome face. As for me, I was pissed off, that's for certain, but not only.

Deep down I knew the anger was simply the easier emotion to process. Cause, if I was to be honest with myself, I would have to acknowledge the hurt, the one that came with the knowledge that Sully had left **me** behind.

I felt the tears prickle my eyes and tried to force them down. I had to get a grip on my emotions. I didn't have any right to feel this way. He was free to do whatever. But still, the pain, like the love, didn't respond to my mind's reason, and came unbidden.

* * *

When we reached the marina, a drizzle started.

"I think we should split up, you go that way, and I cover this one. Okay?" He said, already going to the left side of the harbour.

I nodded, my eyes sweeping the right side immediately. Everything was quiet, everything was silent. Boats, small and big, swayed in the water in their assigned docks. All was as it should be. Then, looking a little further, I caught a glimpse of blonde hair.

I ran to the place, behind one of the bigger boats. And there they were aboard a small boat, except for Cal. He was simply looking at the three people on the boat. As I got closer, I could see him pulling Chloe back to the dock. Then Sully looked frustrated at Beth, as she too, got off.

He slowly climbed off, frustration clear on his face. Cal was the first to notice me, a somehow ashamed smile on his face. Chloe was next, and then Beth. Both girls looked away from my gaze. Sully was the last.

Cal pointed to something behind my shoulder, saying it was JD, and with his girlfriend and Beth, he scurried away from me. Sully approached me slowly, as if anticipating my fury.

"You bastard! How could you do this?"

He seemed to be struggling with what to say. "I… I'm scared okay?" Sully finally admitted.

I pushed him, although he barely moved an inch. "I'm scared too! But I don't go away trying to sneak off when my **friends** aren't looking! Remember your friends Sully? Danny, Henry, Trish, Abby… me?" I said, pounding his chest for every name the left my lips. "You were going to leave them all behind… You were going to leave me behind!" I said, finishing in a small hurt voice.

A few tears escaped my eyes and I cursed my weakness. That somehow, seemed to tick him off. He dropped his weapon and grabbed my shoulders, forcefully. "What do you want Jamie? You're driving me insane here! You're hot and you're cold. You say said you couldn't be with me, but act all hurt when I try to leave. Just… Make up your damn mind!"

"My mind isn't the problem, Sully. My heart is. Because no matter how hard I try I just can't take you out of it. There, are you happy?" I said, finally reaching my breaking point. The truth I had spent so much time denying was out. Somewhere on the back of my mind I knew I was still hurt, that that night was still haunting me, my heart was still broken, but unfortunately I loved him with all the little pieces.

His eyes were intense, the anger replaced by something else. Then he kissed me, roughly. There was no hesitation, no teasing, it was simply what it was. I kissed him back with equal force. For those few seconds, the world outside didn't exist.

He pulled back first, when the need for air was too much. We stood there, eyes locked, his hands still entwined in my hair mine still hugging his strong shoulders.

"JD," I murmured, still trying to clear my fuzzy mind.

He looked at me sharply. I smiled a little and clarified, "He's out. We need to find him."

Sully just nodded, picked up his weapon and took the lead; turning several times to be sure I was behind him. I couldn't help but feel that our relationship had changed, again. I was now more confused than ever.

When we got to the entrance of the marina, without any sign of JD or the others, I spotted my brother's truck. Sully saw it too and we went to warn them about the escapee.

The window was rolled up, so I knocked on the glass. I saw Abby and Jimmy both jump.

"Jamie? What are you doing here?" Jimmy asked, sounding concerned.

"I'll explain later. JD's here."

My brother got out of the truck immediately. That's when I noticed the sheriff. It was hard to see in all that darkness, but his breath was labored and there were some smudges of blood on his hand in the dashboard.

"What happened to your dad, Abbs?"

She looked extremely worried. "I don't know. I think he was stabbed or something, in his leg."

I went to the other side of the truck, and opened the door. As I did, all three of my companions came to my side. "You don't need to stay here. I got this covered. Go find JD."

Jimmy tried to pressure Abby into staying with me and her dad, but she was having none of it. Mr. Mills gave her a weapon and she followed my brother. Then he looked at me. "It's not that bad."

But I could see the lie in that statement. His pants were dark, which made the blood harder to find, but it was still there, I could feel it dampening the fabric and passing to my fingers. I needed more light.

I turned around and almost jumped, at the sight of Sully's worried face. I hadn't noticed his presence before. "You didn't have to stay," I said, fumbling with the buttons of the truck to find the one that turned on that small light.

"I wanted too," he answered. Seeing my building frustration he stopped my pitiful attempts and in one swift move, turned on the light.

I smiled in thanks and went to work. But I knew I would need to take him to the clinic, with the proper instruments if I was going to be able to help him.

I was about to ask Sully to go look for Abby when I saw my friend walking out of the marina. The somber look on her face made me wary. As she approached, Cal, Chloe and Beth walked out too. When she got closer to the truck she announced, "JD's dead. Jimmy and Henry are bringing him."

There was something more to that, I knew it just by looking into her dark eyes, but I let it go for the moment, choosing to address another subject. "We need to take your father to the clinic. Now."

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**I hope everyone enjoyed another installment in this story. And now, you could make the author a little happy and review. Pretty please (insert puppy eyes here)?**


	14. Startling Discoveries

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything of Harper's Island. The only property I have is one Jamie Mance.

Hi guys! Here's another chapter for you. And I believe thanks are in order, so without further ado, I would like to thank Rebecca, Shannon012495, Jo Harv, RWolfe94 and Courtney for their lovely reviews and Kristen for being an awesome beta.

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**Chapter the Fourteenth – **_**Startling Discoveries**_

The clinic was empty when we got there. Cal, Abby and I managed to put the sheriff in a gurney in the observation room and Cal and I started to tend to Abby's dad right away.

The sheriff had a nasty puncture wound on his leg. Cal joked that had been a long time since he had treated a living patient and I remembered his specialty was neuroanatomy, he made a living out of dissecting brains. I searched for a light, while he noticed that the bleeding had slowed, which was a good thing. Unfortunately the patient would still need a transfusion.

As I went in search of blood, Cal occupied himself with finding the instruments he would need. I noticed Abby's worried look as she took in the image in front of her. It must've been hard for her to see her dad, the strong sheriff of Harper's Island, in such a weak condition. As much as I could remember I didn't think the sheriff had ever been injured in service.

As a noise from the door could be heard, Abby wandered off, not actually leaving the room. I knew that was my brother and Henry. I found the blood and prepared the transfusion, as Call worked on Mr. Mills's leg, taking from the wound what seemed to be little wood splinters. The wound was deep, and by its location, I knew it must be painful, but the patient said nothing.

After some tense minutes, we were able to close the wound and bandaged it. Cal thought it best to give him oxygen as well and I prepared that too. I saw Jimmy in the entrance and catching my look, he advanced more into the room, asking, "How's Charlie?" He looked so worried; I knew how much he cared for the man.

"He's better, right doctor Vandeusen?" I said, trying to alleviate the tension a little bit, as well as clear up some of my brother's concern.

"Yes, indeed, doctor Mance. I believe he will be just fine."

I managed the smile I wanted out of Jimmy and went in search of a chair. I was dead tired. It seemed that all that running around was finally catching up to me. I curled up in a chair in a corner and closed my eyes.

I only meant to rest my eyes, but, as I was shaken awake by Abby, I realized I must've dozed off. "What? Abby? Is everything okay? Is your dad…"

"Relax, Jamie. Everything's fine," but I knew her too well, something was up. "Spill, what is it?"

She sighed and quickly explained her little expedition with Jimmy and her theories about the burned journal, also her need to see the pages my brother gave Henry. "Jimmy is coming with me to the Inn. He wanted to let you here and rest, but I knew you'd probably be pissed by that and would try and return alone, so I came to wake you up."

I smiled at her intense knowledge of me. "You were right. Let's go then."

Jimmy mumbled something when he saw me and I glared at him. I knew he was just trying to watch out for me, but I wasn't' a baby anymore, I was an adult. But I decided not to say anything or start a fight I so didn't want to have.

* * *

The lights in the Inn were the first thing we saw. Everything else was still dark. It seemed Sully had been right in his earlier statement. I took the stone stairs two at a time and reached the locked door faster than them. We knocked. I looked around and caught a glimpse of something I thought I knew.

"Hey Jimmy, isn't that Shane's truck?"

He nodded with a grim face and I winced. Again two very distinct emotions rose at his confirmation: relief, at knowing Shane's current whereabouts and apprehension at what exactly he was doing here of all places, I was well familiar with Shane's opinion of the 'summer kids'.

Sully opened the door. I smiled at seeing he had made it safe and sound.

"Where's Henry?" Abby asked, going straight to the point.

"Upstairs with Trish I think. Let me take you there," he shot me a smile and left.

I looked around for Shane, but failing to see my friend, I wandered towards the fireplace. I expected it to be alone, but instead I found Katherine Wellington of all people seated there. I was about to step back, hoping she hadn't see me, when I caught her raspy voice. "Don't go, please. I feel bad enough already."

There was an underlying note of pleading that rooted me to the spot. So I sat, on the plush loveseat across from her. For a few seconds we kept quiet, simply watching the raging fire. Then Sully walked in the room again and I couldn't help but watch as he made his way to Danny and Beth, who currently occupied two barstools.

"If I were you, I wouldn't let him get away."

I was startled at her words. When I noticed the lightly appreciative look on her face as she drank Sully's form in, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her and reply, more forcefully than I had intended, "But you're not me."

I was surprised when I heard a short laugh come from her.

"No need to show me your claws, Jamie. I'm not interested in him that way. I'm just stating a fact. Although no one can deny he is rather attractive."

I breathed a small sigh of relief and returned my eyes to him. "It's… complicated."

"Only because you want it to be. I see the way you look at each other, the way you two react at the other's proximity. You have something, and it would be a shame if you lost that. Take it from me, life is too short."

I looked at her and could see the pain in her eyes. She had lost both her husband and her lover within hours of each other. It must've been hard.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

She didn't say anything, just got up and left me there alone.

When I returned my eyes to the bar, Shane had finally made an appearance, joining the three people by the bar. I got up, with every intention of joining them, when Abby stepped into the room, followed closely by Jimmy. But she didn't even seem to be listening to him. So I changed my course and went to her side instead.

Jimmy then walked up to Shane, as Beth, Danny and Sully left. "What's the matter Abby? Did you look at those pages you wanted?"

Her lack of response was the first sign something was wrong. My brother's tense stance in front of Shane, as well as the big guy's words was the second. Abby was Wakefield's kid? What? No, I'm sure he had misheard something, except Abby didn't dispute him.

"She's gonna get you two killed."

I looked sharply at him. Jimmy was coming towards us, already shaking his head, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Jimmy, what's going on?" I said, once he got close enough.

"Apparently Abby's mom had an affair with Wakefield and they had a kid. She thinks it might be her."

I was stunned into silence. His words were a little hard to digest. I looked at my raven haired friend and saw the raw pain etched in her features. Then I looked at my brother and saw the sadness there, no doubt for her.

I took some minutes to think things over, only to realize there was no need to think about this. Abby was still my friend, practically my sister, and nothing anyone said about her would change that, even if she was Wakefield's daughter, which I still found hard to believe, all things considered.

A shout from the lounge caught all our ears, "You son of a bitch!" and the three of us got there to find Henry and Shane head to head.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger, man. It's not like I'm Rosemary's baby," Shane responded.

"Knock it off Shane," I warned. He stared at me as if I was crazy.

"Don't defend her Shorty," then he quickly turned to Henry. "Look, you wanna blame somebody? Blame her."

My mouth went agape with that. He was seriously pissing me off. Who the hell did he think he was? Fortunately, Henry seemed to be on the same page. "You don't get to talk about Abby."

I noticed Trish looking at Abby strangely.

"Really? What about the journal that says her mom got knocked up with Wakefield, can I talk about that?"

"Shut up Shane," Jimmy said, from beside me. I could see how upset he was too. By this time almost everyone was in the lounge, listening in to their argument.

"What? Seven years everything's cool on this island. Abby shows up people start dying like flies. You do the math," Shane insisted.

"That's enough!" Henry yelled.

But, as I looked around, I could see the damage was done.

"It is kind of weird."

"Please, not you too, Sully. This is all a load of crap. Abby hasn't got anything to do with this."

"How can you be sure?" Shane asked. "Why are you defending her? Your brother's dead," he said to Henry. "You, your dad," he passed to Trish. "Your friends. I lost Kelly. They all connect to her."

Abby left under their stare. The fact that no one spoke made me snap. "I can't believe you guys!" Their eyes finally stopped following Abby and turned to me. "How can you think this about her? This is Abby were talking about. How can you seriously blame her of anything?"

"You didn't lose anyone; you don't know what that feels."

I turned to Trish, who had spoken, in a small voice.

"I lost Kelly too, Trish. But that doesn't give me the right to blame Abby on a **possibility**. Because there's no place in that damn journal that states Abby Mills is Wakefield's daughter."

With that, I went in search of my friend.

* * *

It felt like déjà-vu, to be, again, looking for someone in that empty Inn. I knew the place almost like the back of my hand, still, with the recent events it made the place a little more respectful, and if I was to be honest with myself, a lot spookier.

She was seated in the dark, in some stairwell. She looked so desolate, even with my brother by her side, my heart ached for her. This was not fair.

"Abbs, we should get back inside. It's dangerous outside."

Jimmy nodded his head sending a smile in my direction.

"Apparently is dangerous wherever I am so inside or out, there's not much of a difference," she said, sarcastically.

"Shane's an ass. And I gave the lot of them a piece of my mind. I think that would be enough to keep them out of our way."

She tried to smile. "What if it's true? What if Wakefield really is my father?"

I was about to say something, but Jimmy beat me to it. "So what? It doesn't change anything."

"How can you say that?" She asked.

"Because it's the truth," I insisted.

But she was relentless. "The day I got here, I got a phone call, somebody playing music. I thought it was a wrong number. Then, after Trish's dad was killed, I got the same call again," Jimmy looked down, I could see that he was angered; I recognized that tightness of his jaw. "And somebody was on my hotel room; they taped an article about my mom's death to the mirror."

"What didn't you tell me about this earlier?" he asked.

"I was hoping it was a sick joke, but… Now, after reading this journal... All this death… It's me. Whoever's doing this wants me."

"Well they can't have you."

I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. You couldn't miss the love in that simple statement. Thankfully that seemed to convince Abby to return inside.

I got to the door first. I tried to open it but something was wrong, because the door didn't open. I jingled it, I pushed it, but it wasn't budging. That's when I looked up and saw Shane on the other side.

Beside me, Jimmy was losing it. He banged on the door over and over.

"Let us in, Shane."

"Nuh-uh that chick's like the plague, man."

"SHANE!" my brother yelled.

"Really, Shane, let us in, this is not funny," when I got inside I would kick his ass.

"You two can come in, but not her."

Just as I was ready to start yelling for someone to help, Henry grabbed Shane's head, and banged it against the glass, much like JD had done days ago at the Cannery. That caught us all by surprise.

They were really getting at it. I couldn't see much, but it seemed Shane was getting his ass kicked. I smiled perversely.

"Can someone, please, open the damn door?" I yelled.

After some tense moments, in which I could only hear the sounds of their yelling and fighting, it all stopped. I thought I heard someone mention Beth's name.

A minute later, the door sprung open, thanks to Trish. The look on the brunette's face made me think something had happened. "What now?"

"Beth's gone."

She went to her fiancé's side and the three of us finally got in. I marched in the lounge, Jimmy close on my heels, and looked for Shane. I found him at the bar and, if it wasn't for my brother restraining me I would've punched him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I yelled.

"And you still think this is my fault. This is all her!" He responded, pointing in Abby's general direction.

I was struggling even more. Jimmy kept a good hold on me, but I really wanted to hurt Shane.

"This is your fault, you asshole. You don't like Abby, plain and simple. That is the only reason you're doing this."

He didn't say anything. I was satisfied he was admitting, with his silence, that this was nothing more than a stupid vendetta against her. Too bad the audience for this was all gone.

Jimmy let go of me, when he sensed me calmer and took his own place in front of Shane. "If you ever, do something like that again Shane, I'll kill you. You got it?"

I was proud of my brother's self control and kind of enjoyed the look on Shane's face, even if I still wanted to hurt him. Abby joined us then.

"Danny and Sully found blood on the kitchen and a tunnel."

"A tunnel?" I questioned, stunned.

She nodded. "They want to go in, to look for Beth."

Jimmy and I started to follow her, when Shane called out to me.

"What?" I replied, still incensed with him.

"You're not even gonna ask if I'm hurt, if I need any medical assistance?" He even pouted. I knew this was Shane's twisted way to apologize, but I wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily.

"Does it hurt Shane?"

He rubbed his ribs then answered, "Yeah, actually it does, Shorty. I think that nut job cracked a rib or something."

"Good. Maybe next time you'll think twice before you do something stupid," and with that I left him there and headed to the kitchen.

* * *

I arrived a few minutes after my brother and Abby. Trish was just going out, but stayed when she saw me get in. "I want to go."

Sully, Danny and Jimmy's faces darkened and I knew they would be dead set against it, which was why I directed my argument to the one male in that room that was still swayable.

"If Beth is injured she'll need a doctor as fast as possible. You don't know where she might be, if she needs immediate assistance, she might not have time."

Surprisingly, or not if one had in consideration the bond between Trish and the missing girl, the brunette sided up with me. "She's right, Henry."

He gave a nod and off we went, down the proverbial rabbit's hole. Henry took the lead with Abby right behind him and Jimmy not far either. Danny was behind my brother, and directly in front of me, while Sully took the rear.

We walked in silence for some time. The blood kept indicating us the way in that maze of tunnels.

"This is bad," Sully said.

"He's right. This is too much blood. She'll go into shock if we don't find her and stop the bleeding," I said.

After a few more minutes in silence, Henry asked, "How far do you think these tunnels go?"

My brother was the one that answered, "If it was built for prohibition it could go all the way to the ocean."

"Explains how he gets around. Kidnap, kill, cut the power, all without being seen or heard," the dark haired groom said.

"Who the hell is stalking us and why?" Danny uttered.

"Thought that journal answered the question."

Again Sully and his inputs. "Were not gonna start this again, are we?"

"Someone's pretending to be Wakefield, all right? It's gotta be someone close to him."

"Will you just shut up?" I said losing my patience.

"No, let him talk, Jamie. Now you think I'm doing this?"

"You're the one with his blood, running through your veins."

Finally she snapped. "The why'd you came down here, Sully? Aren't you afraid of me?"

He shut up and Abby kept going forward, pissed.

A few steps ahead, the tunnel split in two. Henry saw blood to the left, Danny saw blood to the right.

"We should split up," Abby suggested. "Beth is down here somewhere."

"You know there's no version of this that ends well," my dark-skinned friend stated.

Henry went to the left.

"I go this way," said Sully, looking to the tunnel on the right. "I take Jamie, you can take Abby."

The eagerness to let Abby go made my blood boil for a split second, before I could focus on the task at hand. This time around I took the lead, Danny by my side and Sully, again, closing in the rear.

At a certain point I kind of stopped paying attention to them and started to do the math. The amount of blood I had seen spread all over those tunnels led me to believe Beth was no longer alive. I mean, someone could only bleed so much.

I was about to inform them of precisely that, when we reached a dead end, except for a small looking tunnel. As Danny pointed the flashlight to the opening, I could see blood in it.

The three of us crouched in front of the opening, trying to gauge how long the thing was or if we even could see something inside, with absolutely no luck. Sully was adamant in his declaration that he wouldn't go inside.

"I can fit here, no problem," I said.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my arm and I was yanked up. Sully looked down at me, a dark look on his handsome face. "You're not going in," he growled.

I glared at him. "I'm the smallest here; I can perfectly crawl in and out without a hitch. Besides you don't get to tell me what I can or can't do."

But he didn't back down, if any, he became even more stubborn. "Well too bad, because I say you are not getting in there and that's final!"

I sighed. The girl inside of me adored this protectiveness of his, but the independent grown woman was having a very hard time dealing with it. Plus, I hated when people bossed me around.

"Sully…" I warned.

"Jamie, look me in the eye and tell me you still think Beth is alive."

That caught me by surprise. His stubbornness I could deny, but logic, no matter how callous it may sound, not so much. "I… I…"

"That's what I thought," he said, crossing his arms.

I turned around to ask Danny's opinion, when I noticed he was nowhere. As if on cue, a sound of metal hitting stone echoed in the tunnel, making Sully raise his weapon and step in front of me. But my eyes went to the tunnel near the ground, and there I found a fallen weapon.

I crouched and looked in, and sure enough, I could distinguish a silhouette making its way in the damned thing. "Danny?" I heard a laugh just as Sully fell to the ground beside me.

"You two lovebirds were so into it I thought I better come and stop the fighting once and for all."

I blushed a bit at the lovebirds' part but kept my ears open to my friend's progress. Seconds later I heard him say, "There's another tunnel here," then silence. I was about to call out to him, worried, when I heard him scream.

Seconds later he was coming out of the tunnel, his breathing labored and his eyes a little scared. "What did you see?" I asked, worried.

"He… He cut her up in… in pieces and stuffed her in there!"

I was silent. How could anyone do this?

"Let's get out of here," Sully said and I couldn't agree more with him.

We walked in silence. Danny looked ill. I grabbed his hand, noticing how cold it was, and squeezed. He turned to me, a little startled, and smiled, but it didn't reach his kind eyes. I was glad Sully had stopped me from going in, I was sure I would have nightmares already; I didn't have to have Beth's mangled body to add to that.

I could see a light in front of us and we ran the rest of the way. They were running too, so it took some time to catch up with them.

"Jimmy!" I yelled.

Both he and Henry stopped and turned, weapons raised.

"Hey don't move!" Henry said.

"Whoa, it's us!" Sully said.

I looked at the two of them and noticed Abby wasn't with them.

"Where's Abby?" I asked concerned.

"A gate come down, separate us. We need to get some tools to get her out," Henry said.

I felt my heart squeeze at the thought of my friend somewhere down there alone. Already images of Abby's hacked up body in the place of Beth's raided my mind. I shook my mind to notice they were already on their way and hasted my steps to keep up with them. The sooner we got out of here, the sooner we could help Abby.

* * *

The lights of the kitchen bathed the last steps of the tunnel. We hurried through, Jimmy and Henry in deep conversation. When we stepped into the warm bar, Shane sat in one of the barstools, carving something on the wood.

"Abby's trapped we need tools to get her free," the groom was saying as we reached him.

"Shane, you still keep your tools in your truck right?" My brother's tone brooked no argument.

Still Shane looked at him and simply said, "Yeah." He said, dragging the word and a moment later added, "But my truck's not here. Your girl stole it," pointing at Henry.

"Trish? You let her leave, where'd she go?"

Shane made a movement that indicated his lack of knowledge and I could feel Jimmy tensing beside me. Henry huffed and kinda glared at Shane, striding back to the kitchen.

I followed him as he went around the room. "Look for anything it could be used to cut."

Everyone went to work. I was out of luck, but Sully and Henry found something useful, and just as we were heading back in, we all heard the sound of a truck pulling in.

Henry ran to the kitchen window and, after a sigh of relief, said, "It's Trish and Abby."

I smiled and ran to the door, to welcome my friend, glad that she hadn't become a victim. I passed Shane and saw his bored face. I wanted to kick him, but instead filed that for later and resumed my way out, Jimmy already in front of me.

The two of them hugging was the first thing I saw, when I walked into the cold air of dawn. Sully pulled up beside me and I couldn't resist but grab his hand and squeeze it tight. He squeezed right back.

I then searched for Madison, seeing her hugging her mom while talking to Maggie. I felt the relief flooding me as I could anticipate the end of this. Madison was fine and now safe. Sure there was still a killer in the loose, but we could go home now. As I looked at my brother I promised I would convince him to come with me, Shane too.

I was so into my own little world that I almost missed Madison and Abby's interaction.

"Did you like the game, Abby?" The child said.

"What?" my friend retorted. I approached the two of them.

"The game," the small Wellington insisted. "He said you'd like it, the man who took me."

"What man, Madison?"

I was now standing right beside my friend.

"Your dad Abby. You know, the Sheriff," she answered in the coldest tone I had ever seen the little girl use, actually sending shivers down my spine.

But the tone didn't matter, her words did, and they made everyone still outside stare Abby down. This time, though, I was one of them too.

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Another chapter. Now things will definitely get interesting. You know what you have to do... The review button... Press it... Now tell me what you thought :)


	15. Loss

**Disclaimer: **Sadly this writer has no ownership rights about anything you might recognize from the tv show Harper's Island (or else a certain blond boy would've lived to see another day *wink*). But Jamie is my creation, therefore she's mine.

Hello guys! My gratitude this week goes to Rebecca, Courtney, Jo Harv and Shannon012495 :) Your reviews made my day! It's very nice to know hear from you. Thank you very much :D Also, I would like to thank my beta Kristen, she's awesome :)

Were getting closer to the end (sadly)... But our darlings still have a bit to go through. This chapter covers a specific event I've been dying to cover. I hope I managed to convey the right amount of emotion.

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**Chapter the Fifteenth – **_**Loss**_

After the initial shock, Shea took Madison inside. Sully and Danny passed Abby, Jimmy and I on their way inside, but said nothing. I was glad Shane hadn't heard what had just been said, although I knew he was bound to found out.

"It's… It can't be. He wouldn't… I can't see my dad doing something like this…" my friend said, shaking her head in complete disbelief.

I didn't know Charlie Mills very well. Although he had never been anything but kind to me, I couldn't judge what he could, or couldn't do.

I jumped a bit when I felt a hand on my shoulder, but it was just Jimmy. The shotgun on his hands reminded me of the seriousness of the situation and I hurried inside the Inn.

Again we ended up in the bar. I was seated between Abby and Jimmy. Both of whom were lost in their own thoughts. Trish, Sully and Danny were talking close by. Mother and daughter sat behind me, talking. Henry and Shane had disappeared somewhere and Maggie was in her office.

That's when I noticed I hadn't seen Katherine since our conversation by the fire. The memory made me look at Sully, which was in the middle of answering Danny's query about the sheriff.

My brother got sick of their conversation and went to Abby's side. They were talking, Abby expressing her incredulity on her dad's guilt, when I asked, "Has anyone seen Katherine?" My question stopped every conversation.

Just then, Henry and Shane walked in, all serious and tense.

"Jimmy! Can you fit us all in your boat? Take us to Seattle?" Henry asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, we can do that," he asserted nodding.

"Good," then turning to the rest of us he said, "Bring only what you need. We're leaving the island."

Jimmy turned to me and Abby and said, "I'm just gonna get some gas, okay?" He dropped a kiss on my forehead, caressed her cheek and left, Shane trailing after him.

I had a strong suspicion on the reason of his hurry to leave. "It's Katherine, isn't it?"

He looked at me, clearly surprised. Trish stood up and approached her fiancée. "Henry?"

"Yeah…" he said in my direction, then turned to the petite brunette and further explained, "Katherine's dead. We found her in the solarium. I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do for her now. We need to get to the marina."

"How?" was Danny's question.

"It doesn't matter," he tried.

But Sully wasn't taking that for an answer. "No, the hell it doesn't! She was alive like ten minutes ago."

"And now she's dead. We need to get to the marina."

Trish then said, incredulity lacing her words, along with a mild fear, "You think the killer's still here."

"Yeah," he answered. Then he turned to Sully and Danny. "Get Maggie!"

"She's probably in her office," I offered to both boys as Abby stopped Henry and said they needed to get her dad, Cal and Chloe from the clinic. He assured her we were going to get her dad and I saw a little of the tension ease from her shoulders, still it was clear my friend wouldn't be satisfied until she got a good talk with her dad. And I wished, more than ever, that somehow this could all be one big misunderstanding.

* * *

Abby and Henry left us near the marina, in a small clearing, while they went to the clinic.

I was nervous. The killer had been inside with us. Even after all the doors had been locked he still managed to get in and kill someone. I looked around, suddenly aware of how exposed we were. Thick walls hadn't stopped this guy, and here we stood, in the open. I prayed for them to hurry up. All I wanted was to board the _Sea-Jay_ and get the hell out of this island.

I heard Trish ask Sully if he had ever shot something and couldn't help but smile slightly at his answer. If you count video-games as experience, then Sully was a true expert in the shooting department.

Henry and Abby arrived immediately after that. By the deflated look of my friend's face, I knew something bad had happened. Henry's words confirmed my suspicion. I went to her side immediately.

"You guys go ahead; I need to find my dad. I need to know what happened."

"Abby no…"

Shea interrupted me, snapping at Abby. "Are you saying Madison lied?"

My friend was quick to answer, "No, I'm just trying to understand. Last night my dad was trying to get me off the island, why would he wanna keep us here now?"

I shook my head while they carried on their discussion. I was feeling ill at ease. All this yelling was becoming tiring. I could feel a headache coming and wished I had my Tylenol.

I groaned a little when Trish got involved and almost lost it. Then the brunette took charge of the situation, telling Sully to get the rest of us to the boat, while she went with her fiancée and my friend.

Sully walked alongside me. He was tense and alert but he would spare me a glance as often as to our surroundings. I had a sneaking suspicion he could see how all this was starting to grate on my nerves and I appreciated his consideration.

Halfway there, Henry, Abby and Trish rejoined us. My friend was looking worse than when she had left, so I guessed her detour to her dad's house wasn't as satisfying as she would like. My heart went out to her.

As we descended further towards the marina, I could feel the anticipation fill me. I was one step closer to being out of here.

As we passed past the closed Cannery, I craned my neck to try and spot Jimmy at the gas station. I couldn't find him, but I did find Shane. He was working on what seemed to be the generator. I stepped forward, when it happened.

An explosion; flames rising oh so high in the skies; the ground around me shaking; but my thoughts could only process one thing. "JIMMY!"

He was down there, on his boat, and everything was blowing up. I tried to run, I tried to go help him, but something was pulling me back, away from him. I wanted to tell them to stop (couldn't they understand he was down there?), but the words couldn't get past the lump on my throat and everything that I could produce were ear piercing screams.

More explosions, more fire, it was like hell was taking over the marina. I was vaguely aware of screaming around me. Another noise joined that dark symphony and I noticed the insistence of the force pulling me back.

The hysteria was blinding to everything but the blazing flames. I needed to find my brother, I had to… He couldn't… Kicking and screaming I found myself in doors. I could now comprehend bits and pieces of voices and that someone was restraining me.

"…help her!"

"What can…"

"…maybe you…"

"I'm sorry, Jamie!"

The pain in my cheek was followed by a shout and the tensing of the person holding me. I finally open my eyes and saw Shane grabbing Henry in a choke hold.

It took me a minute to found my voice. "Shane, stop," I said so softly I was afraid he wouldn't hear me. But he did.

His breathing was labored and his eyes were sad. That was another small confirmation. Henry stood back, along with everyone else, but Shane and Sully, whose scent my brain finally processed, and I recognized as being the one holding me.

"Tell me he wasn't…" I trailed off. He cast his eyes to the ground.

"I tried to warn him…"

The first wave of pain hit me like a physical blow and I doubled over, feeling the tears spring loose and start to fall down my cheeks. I felt nauseated. I ran to the bathroom, ignoring the concerned looks, and finding the nearest toilet proceeding to empty the contents of my stomach. The tears made it hard to see and the shaking hard to move. I was gripping the white porcelain so much my knuckles were white. He was gone. My brother, my protector, my best friend, Jimmy was…

I heard the door open and the sound of steps approaching. Then I felt a warm hand on my back, rubbing it softly. I turned to see who it was, finding Sully's kind eyes through the tears.

Slowly I turn into him, needing the warmth, needing to feel something other than this blinding pain. He hugged me, pushing me as tightly as he could against him as the sobs racked my small form.

* * *

The voices outside grew louder. They were probably fighting again. I didn't care, not anymore. This was all so surreal, so damn unfair. What was I suppose to do now? I was alone in the world. A fresh batch of tears left my eyes.

"You're not alone, Jamie. You have your friends and you have me, I promise," he said passionately. I hadn't realized I had spoken that aloud. Then his words sunk in and I was shaking my head against his chest.

"Don't say that. Don't make promises you can't keep, Sully. I can't take it anymore," I said the tears blurring my vision. The memories of my dad's funeral and Jimmy's words making the pain more acute and my sobs returning.

"I'm sorry. I hate to see you like this," he softly whispered sounding tormented.

"I loved him so much… I feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest. When I think I'll never see him again, or talk to him again. I close my eyes and I wish, god, I **beg** for this to be a nightmare. And then I open them and it isn't and the pain cuts through me all over again."

Sully didn't say anything, preferring to hold me tightly to him. I was currently curled up in his chest as he sat on the bathroom floor on the opposite wall to the toilets.

I felt him tense a bit before saying, "I… I don't know what to say," but he seemed almost frustrated. Puzzled I looked at him. "Maybe I should get Danny, or Henry, they'd know what to say," and that made me figure it out.

I made him look at me and spoke only when I found the blue of his eyes focused on me, I had to make him understand. "You don't have to say anything, just keep holding me. And I don't want anyone else but you," and at that moment I truly needed him.

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting our moment. I was expecting Danny or Shane, instead, in came Henry. Sully got up from the floor, effortlessly bringing me with him, but still keeping his arms around my waist in a protective way.

"I'm sorry, but I was hoping you could help me Jamie," the dark haired man said looking apologetic.

"Not now, man," Sully begged.

But I saw this as an opportunity, an escape, anything that kept me from thinking about… well, from thinking altogether. "What happened?"

"Danny's been hit on the arm, and you know how he hates all doctors, except for you. Cal has tried but…"

I was nodding even before he had finished. I went to the sink to wash my face and mouth. As I looked in the mirror I saw how terrible I looked, which was only a fragment of how I felt inside.

I finally walked outside; Danny was near the back of the bar, seated on one of the chairs, with Cal trying to convince him to let him get a look at the wound. When the Englishman looked up he gave me a sad smile. Danny noticed and turned his head in my direction.

He groaned and said sounding contrite, "No, it's nothing, Jamie, it's just a flesh wound."

"Let me, Danny. Please, just let me do this…" he sighed and stopped fussing, probably hearing the pleading tone in my voice.

I went to work.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while.

"I'm glad to help, but you really need to get over your phobia about doctors…"

"I'm not talking about that," I stiffen. He noticed. When my hands started to shake, he grabbed hold of them, pulling me to the chair next to his. His dark eyes were bursting with kindness, but that somehow made the pain all the more sharp.

"I… I can't talk about that. I don't want to," he understood, I knew he did, so he allowed me a minute to gather my thoughts and then I started to bandage his now clean wound.

Once in finished I sat in the chair again and looked around. Sully was by the bar, surprisingly talking to Shane. They never got along, but now, at least, they were civilized with each other. They were both looking at something on the other side of the room and I followed their stare, interested in knowing what was so enrapturing to make both forget the animosity.

My breath caught when I saw Abby. Danny glanced at me and followed my gaze as well. She hadn't even entered my mind. She was probably hurting as much as I was at the moment. I sighed; I was barely holding it together myself, no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't comfort anyone right now.

I was still looking at Abby when I heard Maggie saying, "Wakefield did the same thing seven years ago. Blew up the docks," I shivered at her words and could feel the damn tears prickling my eyes. Why couldn't they talk about something else?

"Wait, there's another boat. Cal rented it for us. It's on some private dock on the other side of the island," Chloe said from Cal's arms beside me. I hadn't heard the response to Maggie's comment, but was now more interested in the blonde's train of thought. "Cal, what about the sail boat? Couldn't we use that to get off the island?"

He looked at her and answered, "It's big enough, yeah. If we could all just get to it."

"Yeah, if we could just make it across the parking lot…" Sully said, derisively. I shook my head.

Danny spoke, trying to calm things down, "We can't all go. We don't even know if it's still there."

I sat on a chair that was against the wall, bringing my knees up.

Cal simply said, "I'll go, I'll sail it back to the marina to meet you."

"No… It's too dangerous," Chloe replied, sounding panicked.

"It's not a problem, I'll go."

"Henry," said Trish worried with her fiancé's careless attitude, "You can't run on that leg! I mean, shouldn't somebody go who has the best shot of getting there?"

I looked up at the sound of Chloe's voice, "What about him?" She was looking at Shane. "He can sail; knows the island!"

All eyes turned to him.

"I'm not going out there getting shot. But thanks though," he responded sarcastically. But before his words could truly be acknowledged someone tried to get in.

For some very frantic moments everyone's attention was pulled to the door. Every weapon was raised and pointed at it. Someone said shoot and I found myself siding with them. If this person was the killer, then a bullet wound was the very least I wanted for him.

Then Henry asked who it was, and Nikki Bolton's voice could be heard. I lost interest almost immediately and zoned out, until I heard my brother's name and turned sharply. Shane shot me an apologizing look as did Maggie. Nikki stood there, like a deer caught in the headlights, the implications of their argument sinking in, and I still didn't care.

The people settle again. I caught sight of Abby getting in the kitchen, Nikki following not long after and felt a little better, knowing that the blonde girl could be there for Abby. She hadn't approached me and I had a good idea why. With everyone saying her dad was responsible for all this, she probably thought I hated her. I didn't, I couldn't. She was still my friend, but if her dad really was responsible I would never look at her the same.

From the corner of my eye I saw Henry approach another window. He pointed something outside, I was only half hearing what was being said. It was that way until I heard Sully's voice saying, "I am. You want this to actually succeed, right?"

"No!"

Seven pairs of eyes turned to me, but only a pair of blue ones mattered. He moved towards me, slowly, but I didn't let him say anything, "You can't go, Sully. It's dangerous... it's too dangerous. I don't wanna loose you too," I hated the weakness in my voice but couldn't do anything about that.

His eyes were pained and I understood all he wasn't saying: he hated the idea of playing the hero every bit as I did, but he would do this, if not for everyone else, then for us. I sighed, resigned, miserable and utterly tired. He sensed that and hugged me.

I would have been totally contented with staying close to him like that, until it was time for him to go, already a bad feeling settling on my gut, when Maggie got up from her chair.

She rubbed my back as she passed me and walked up to the door.

"Maggie, where are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going home. He didn't touch Nikki, he won't touch me."

Her logic baffled me, along with everyone else in the room. But I knew that once her mind was made, there was little to nothing anyone could do or say to make her change it. She was a very strong willed woman and the epitome of stubbornness.

Henry still tried to reason with her, "Maggie you can't go out there."

"This has nothing to do with me."

"Please, Maggie."

She turned to me and I went to her side. She hugged me and then whispered, "My dear child I'm so sorry for Jimmy. I know how much you loved him."

I felt the tears again. It seems that was my system's response to my brother's name. I nodded. "I'm serious, Maggie, don't go. Please, for me, just don't?"

"I'm going to be just fine, Jay."

Then she left and I ran to the window, watching her back get away until she was nothing but a small dot in the distance.

_Sully's Interlude_

This was so screwed up. This was not how this week was supposed to go. His best friend was supposed to get married, the rest of them were supposed to have fun, drinking and making embarrassing speeches about the groom and the bride. Saying that the best laid out plans often go awry was an understatement.

He wasn't supposed to be consoling Jamie, he didn't **want **to have to console her. He wanted to see her laugh, smile, kick someone's ass, hell right at that moment, he wouldn't have cared one bit if she was trying to kick **his** ass. Instead she was silent, sad, and in tremendous pain. The worst part for him was to know there was nothing he could do to erase that pain.

So he went to her, held her in his arms, in hopes that he could at least bring her some sort of comfort, trying to distract her out of thinking about her brother. She didn't say anything, but he could feel her relax slightly into him as he sat down with her on his lap. Every once in a while he would hear her sniffle, and feel a little moisture in his neck, where her face met his neck, and his heart would constrict in his chest just a tad more.

He was hoping that she would somehow be able to fall asleep. He knew the chances of that were slim to none, but hope was the last to go. Then he noticed just how relaxed her body was, and how her breathing had calmed, and he kind of sighed in relief.

But shortly after, he could hear voices coming from the other side of the room, angry ones. Abby and Trish's sister were fighting. Jamie moved a little. He cursed the other women, why couldn't they just shut up?

Then the kid, Madison, walked a little away from the feud and looked up, saying in that creepy voice of hers, "There's someone on the roof," a particularly loud thump was heard and everyone followed her lead. She was right. Someone was up there, someone who wasn't supposed to be, **him**.

Jamie tensed and sprang from his arms, picking up his shotgun from the table where he had left it and pointed it to the ceiling. She was shaking, and there some tears in her eyes, for a second they locked eyes and he could see the pain swirling in with the anger. Her finger inched to the trigger when Danny stopped her.

"Don't! There could be fuel; he might be setting the place on fire."

That islander friend of hers muttered, "At least he'd blow up," and he saw her wince with the exchange, gripping the weapon tighter. So Sully approached her, and had already taken hold of the gun, when a swooshing sound was heard through the bar along with a bang that made all eyes turn to one of the windows.

The girls yelled, the kid dropped the mug she'd been holding and Jamie paled dangerously fast. Then she took the shotgun again and shot twice into the ceiling, yelling, "What are you waiting for? Come out and fight you coward!"

Everyone was looking at them, but he couldn't have cared less. The bar didn't set on fire and no other noise could be heard so he figured she had missed. She was crying in earnest now, he didn't waist any time in gathering her in his arms. Sadly, it was now familiar territory to him, so he knew exactly what to do.

She quieted down but got such an empty look on her face that scared him. Abby and the other blonde chick finally shut the blinds, and he was happy he and Jamie, especially her, wouldn't have to look at the body of Maggie anymore. Then the noise of a bottle breaking caught his attention. Cal had broken another bottle and he couldn't stop a curse.

_End of Sully's Interlude_

"He's gonna ignite the damn bar. Idiot!" Sully said as his arms flexed a little where they wound around my body.

"You should go help them," he looked to me, startled.

"You sure?"

I nodded. He got up, pressing his lips to my forehead, and left, to yell something at Cal. I curled into myself. In a little while he would go outside, risk his life to save ours. I didn't allow myself to keep that train of thought, though, or I was sure I would have another breakdown.

Truth was I was starting to get numb. Sometimes, when our body suffered a trauma, the pain that we should feel doesn't come right away, that's because our brain knows then is not the time to feel pain, so it finds a way to protect us. I hadn't suffered a physical trauma, but I had been in pain nonetheless.

I silently watched as Cal went to Chloe's side. Danny rubbed his injured arm a little before grabbing his weapon again. Trish went to Henry's side and all but crushed herself to him. Shane sat in the same barstool he always sat, every once in a while looking at the seat on his right, the usual seat of my brother. I saw Shea and Madison, the older woman keeping a very strong grip on the younger, on the opposite side of the bar. Then there was Abby, with only Nikki for company.

Before the guilt could break the numbness, Sully returned. I could read the fear on his face. That sight made **me **fearful. So I got up from my seat and walked the few inches that separated us and hugged him, feeling his body sagging a little into mine.

Then, we waited.

* * *

And that's the end, for now. So... What's your thoughts? Drop me a line, then (inserting puppy dog eyes), okay?


	16. Monster Revealed

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own a thing from the tv show _Harper's Island_. I do own Jamie Mance.

Hello boys and girls! I want to thank Rebecca, RWolfe94, Courtney, Jo Harv and Shannon012495 for their wonderful reviews, they put me in a great mood and I love to hear from you guys, so, keep them coming please :D

To Rebecca, I want one too, I'll make you a deal, when I find a way to clone Sully I make one for you :) I will be sad to reach the end too and I'm happy that you feel like this and I gotta say it's great to have such a faithfull reviwer like you. But maybe our comradeship doesn't have to end with this story. I have some very solid ideas to make a sequel to this. I feel Jamie still has a lot to tell. So maybe I could sway you and the rest of into reading it? To RWolfe94, I'm glad you're enjoying this :) To Courtney, I'm glad you're liking :) To Jo Harv, I would like to be in Jamie's place, at least in the scenes with Sully :) To Shannon012495, I'm glad my story evoked such a response on you, I guess it means I'm doing something right :)

And of course, I couldn't forget to thank that awesome beta of my, Kristen!

* * *

**Chapter the Sixteenth – _Monster Revealed_**

I couldn't stop shaking. Henry and Danny were preparing the distraction. What hell of a time to realize I still loved Sully, right? There was a chance he might not come back. The mere thought made me a little lightheaded.

The glare of the flames caught my attention and I took a couple of steps back, I couldn't stand it. Chloe passed me, walking purposefully towards Cal, kissing him. My path backwards was blocked by something. When I turned, I caught sight of Sully just before his lips landed on mine.

At first it was tentative as if he was afraid I might push him away. But I only pulled him closer. The emotions behind that kiss weren't love, or even passion, not now, now they were simply desperation and comfort.

He pulled away. As he did it, he leaned his forehead against mine, his eyes boring into mine.

"Come back to me. Please," I begged, feeling some tears leak from my eyes.

He said nothing, just nodded, and moved closer to the door. Now I was really freaking out. They were by the door, waiting, and when I heard Henry tell them to go, I just couldn't stay away from that window. I had to see them with my own two eyes.

So I stood beside Chloe, feeling her shake as bad as I was. I saw Sully jump over the hood of Nikki's car and reaching the other side pretty damn fast. I could only see the back of his back now. A few seconds later a shot rang through the air. Chloe's hand darted to mine, gripping it almost painfully. At that moment I didn't give a damn, I was sure I was gripping hers just as tightly.

When his head sunk lower, and out of sight, my heart stopped. Then another shot rang and I could hear the sound of glass being shattered. I was desperately trying to see anything, trying to identify a sound other than the racket of the shots and glass.

After some excruciating seconds, when for each shot my eyes filled up with more tears, the sound of the engine roared above all and the car was in motion, fleeting out of that damned parking lot.

"C'mon…c'mon," Chloe whispered.

"YEASSSS!" Shane yelled, making me break my gaze out the window and release the breath I had been holding since Sully had walked away from me.

But Chloe's eye were still glued outside, I could feel her trembling as she asked, "Did one of them get hit? I…I…I couldn't see. I think I saw blood."

My own blood turned cold as she spoke, while Henry tried to calm her, "Chloe, there was too much smoke."

"They did it! I think they're gonna make it," Danny said as he approached both of us.

But I could see the doubt and fear on Chloe's eyes. Nothing anyone said would make this easier so there was no point to hear their words, especially since I could see the uncertainty in their faces.

Minutes that seemed like hours later she was still holding my hand, not looking at it actually, she wasn't looking at anything in particular she was simply staring into space. I knew what she was thinking, because the same horrific images were playing in my head. I glanced at her hand, noticing something sparkling in her hand.

I brought her hand up to inspect it closer. The movement shook her out of her thoughts. "I didn't know," I uttered, at her strange look I held up her hand, "I didn't know he had proposed."

Her smile was brief and sad. "He didn't. Not now at least. I'm just keeping it safe."

I took that as hint to drop the subject. And really, what could I say? All I could do now was hope and pray that both Sully and Cal were alright and that this nightmare would end soon, before anyone else had to die.

* * *

I had been talking with Shane, on a table in the back. He tried to be all strong, but he couldn't fool me. I knew him inside and out. He was suffering. In a way he had lost a brother too. There were few memories I had of Shane that didn't include my brother.

Then Chloe all but broke down, "Something's wrong. It's been hours."

"You gotta give them more time," Henry try to pacify the blonde.

"But what if they're hurt? I heard the shots," she insisted.

She turned her attention from the groom to Abby. "Why is he doing this?" My raven haired friend looked downright miserable. Thankfully, and completely unexpectedly, Trish held her friend back.

"We got company!" Danny shouted from the window. Henry, Trish, Shane and Chloe approached it. "It's coming right at us!"

Shane brandished his gun, already going for the door, when the groom spoke up, "Wait, wait. Hold on, Shane. There's something on the hood."

"It might be a bomb."

"No, it's… It's a body," the bride contradicted.

I tensed and ran for the window, same as Abby and Nikki. The car got even closer braking to a halt, making the body roll off the hood to the floor. As the face turned to us, my breath caught. It was Jimmy.

I didn't waste another second to run to the door, throwing it open. And surely, there on the floor lay the body of my brother. But suddenly a thought occurred to me. What if he was dead? What if this was just another sick joke? I wouldn't be able to handle it, I knew that much. So I just stood there, rooted to the spot, unable to move. Thankfully Abby didn't seem to be tormented with such dark thoughts as she kneeled in front of him.

With shaky hands she tried to feel his pulse. Then she spoke, breathy, as if she could barely believe herself. "He's alive," she then turned to me, with a watery smile on her face, "He's alive, Jamie! He's alive!"

I started to cry in earnest on that moment. Henry was by her side in an instant and so was Shane, right after he passed me his weapon. But I didn't care about anything. The only thing that mattered right now was that Jimmy was alive. I could feel the weight in my chest abate and my heart soar with the happiness.

As they picked my brother up, my medical training kick in. "Be careful! He might have something broken," I shouted. The boys put him on top of a pool table and I approached him. My hands were trembling as I touched his forehead, clearing his shaggy hair from his closed eyes.

"How did he survive the blast? I mean… I mean we saw the boat…" Danny trailed off, the awe in every single one of his words.

"I yelled, maybe he jumped," Shane tried.

I was about to ask for some blankets, since I noticed he was very cold, when I saw Nikki and Abby were already tucking him in. I turned to the blonde. "Where's the first aid kit, Nikki? Can someone bring me some towels and a bowl of water please?"

They started fighting, again. I didn't take notice of their words, focusing on my brother, while Nikki went to look for the first aid kit.

His pulse was slow, but steady. He was bleeding from several scrapes on his face and neck; and I could see several burnt marks on his face and arms. But right now what was worrying me was the possibility of internal injuries or a concussion.

I was handed the first aid kit by a different blonde and went to work. I was so focused on looking for the worse symptoms that I failed to see the key glued to his hand. Danny didn't.

After taking it out of Jimmy's hand, he held it for all to see. "He didn't work at the hotel, did he?"

"No," I answered more confuse than ever. Then Abby took a closer look at it, taking it from Danny's hands.

"It's mine. Room 209."

"Did you give it to him?" Henry inquired.

"No…No! I… I left it in the room. I was never going back!"

Everyone was gathered round us now.

"What's it doing on Jimmy?" Trish demanded.

"It's a message! Don't you get it?" Shane yelled exasperated. The attentions went to him and he continued, "Sheriff drives in here, with his big ol'truck, the lights blazing. It's maximum effect. The dude's having fun! It's a game."

"He wants you, Abby. He wants you to go back there, back to the Candlewick!" Trish said, as the realization hit her.

"No… No way. Now way, it's too dangerous. And… And how do we know it's what he wants?" Henry tried to reason his fiancée, although she was making a good point.

"He knows how you feel about Jimmy; he let him live, brought him here… i…i…It's a peace offering."

I looked at Abby as Trish's words sunk in. But the brunette wasn't yet finished. "Look, he's your dad, okay, maybe he just wants to talk."

I snorted at her words. "Whoever did this has a lot more in mind than talk," as I looked up, I could see Abby's stunned face. She had caught my odd defense of her father.

"Jamie's right! He might be her dad, but if he's been killing people…"

Trish interrupted him, "What do you thing he wants?"

"I don't care! I say we all go and end this."

I saw Nikki nod and Danny try to break the oncoming fight, when Abby interrupted. "No. Nobody can end this but me."

"You're not going alone," her best friend from growing up insisted.

"Trish is right. This is between me and my dad! If you or anyone else comes with me we're all dead."

"Abby listen to Henry!" I said again, earning a strange glance from Nikki.

"It's not your key, you two, it's hers," Shane said.

"Stay here and wait for the signal from Sully and Cal, I'll get back as soon as I can."

He stopped in front of her. "I can't let you do this."

"Henry, I came back here to face him, didn't I? Now I just need a gun."

Shane gave her his, and I couldn't help but glare. He was taking his revenge for her to a whole new level. She left then, going for the door. I went after her.

"Abby, be careful."

She smiled grimly and left.

* * *

I was worried. Jimmy had made no sound since his arrival. Not a hiss, not a grumble, not a moan, nothing. I didn't think there was any internal bleeding, but his right side worried me. I thought I felt a broken rib or something; thankfully his breathing wasn't labored or short. As for a concussion, I would have to wait until he woke up.

I quieted the mutinous voice in my head that whispered, 'If he wakes up'.

I kept close attention to his pulse, but aside from getting a bit stronger, there were no changes. I returned to my work of cleaning his wounds and trying to stop the bleeding.

Some loud voices in the corner caught my attention momentarily. Trish looked pissed and Henry looked tense and tired. I sighed. Even though she made a good point, she had practically pushed Abby out the door. I couldn't see her fiancé that happy about it.

If I was to be honest with myself, his reactions about Abby were passionate… a little too passionate. But they had always been close, right? So there was no big deal. I kept tending to Jimmy, the worry for Sully in the back burner for so long, returning. Where was he? Was he okay?

Nikki's voice floated up to me and I couldn't help but tense up.

"Yeah, she was all worried with Abby now…now that Jimmy's here. But before? Before it was just looks. And not that friendly looks either."

"Leave her alone, Nikki. Just back the hell off, you hear me?" Shane said gruffly, before returning to the couch where my brother now laid.

"How's he doing, Shorty?" He asked, worry lacing his words.

"I need to take him to the clinic. There's not much I can do here. He hasn't woken up yet. I need him to wake up. He has to," I said, starting to lose it again. He pulled up a chair and sat beside me, grabbing my hand, knowing how it sooth me.

"WHAT!" the outburst made me jump and Shane stand up in a flash. Henry and Danny were stuffing their pockets with ammunition and running out the door faster than I could've imagine possible.

"What happened?" I demanded from Trish, that was just closing the door. I had a feeling it had something to do with Abby.

The brunette looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Just spit it out, Trish!" I growled, my patience running low.

"John Wakefield he's… alive. He's the one that took Madison, made her lie to Abby..." She said as if in a daze.

"What?" I shouted.

How this was possible? John Wakefield was dead. The sheriff killed him; Abby had dug up his body. I looked at Madison's face, wondering if she could be lying. It wouldn't be the first time. But looking at her, seeing her grip her mom as everyone turned to look at her, somehow I didn't think she was lying now.

The golden haired boy invaded my thoughts again. Wakefield was somewhere out there, hunting us, hunting him. The thought constricted my heart and I felt like crying, again. I had my brother, but Sully was still out there. Damn it!

Around me the chatter picked up, with some harsher words being spoken by Shane and Trish. In the end, it didn't matter. We still needed to get out of here, we could attribute blame at any given time, but I felt our window of opportunity was getting smaller the longer we stayed.

Why was he doing this? What did he want? Those were the really interesting questions.

* * *

All this wait was grating on my last nerve. After checking my brother's pulse for the millionth time I sighed and dropped my head in my hands. Where were they? This suspense was really killing me.

And if I wasn't worried about enough, Nikki was scaring Chloe even more. Sure she wasn't saying any lies, when she said that it would take a while until anyone from the mainland noticed anything wrong, but still, couldn't she understand she was doing more harm than good? I glared as Shane added from beside me that even something as big as the explosion in the marina couldn't be seen from the mainland.

As the voices grew in intensity, my patience diminished, adding to my already pounding head. "Would you just shut up? Please?"

"Mommy, he's here!" Madison yelled breaking the silence that ensued.

Not a minute later the door broke down and John Wakefield stood before us, smirking.

Shane was up in an instant. I saw Nikki reaching for her gun from behind the counter. Wakefield must've seen it two because he marched to her, gripping the barrel of the shotgun before she could really aim at him. The pure terror in her eyes, as he stare her down, made ice run through my veins. What were we gonna do?

Then she shot, hitting the ceiling, and he sunk the boarding knife deep in her gut, cruelly dragging her body over the bar top. Shane was infused with movement, grabbing Shea and Madison, who had frozen as he door was kicked in, and hushed them away.

I gripped his sleeve, suddenly realizing what he was preparing to do. He was crazy if he thought I was going to let him do that.

"You too, Shorty, go."

"No. I'm not gonna leave you and Jimmy behind," I said stubbornly, keeping a close eye on Wakefield's back. That monster almost took my brother. I would not let him have a second chance and take Shane too.

He briefly looked at me, before returning his eyes to the monster in front of us. "Now's not the time to be stubborn, Shorty."

"But Shane…" I started. But he grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to tilt my head up so I could look into his eyes.

"Jamie! You have to go. Now! I'm not gonna be the one to tell Jimmy you died, you hear me? Now get the hell out of here."

I wanted to say something, anything really, but I was at a loss of words. I started to turn when something caught my eye and I cursed under my breath for being so damn stupid. I ran towards the fallen gun, landing hard on my knees by Nikki's body. Wakefield turned towards me, so did Shane.

My friend's eyes got wide as saucers, but my attention was focused on the monster that had slain Kelly, Nikki and countless others; that tried to shoot Sully; that **blew up my brother**. He had to pay. I was going to take that shot, for them and for me I had to.

I guess he saw that because for the first time his smirk faltered. I could see the hate in his eyes burning more intensely. So instead of contemplating to take the shot I pulled the trigger, just as he lunged at me.

I didn't hit him square on as was my intention, his movement making me miss the middle of his chest, but I did caught his shoulder. But he was strong, and his lunge had given him momentum enough to keep him coming at me. I shut my eyes, anticipating the pain, thinking of all the things I didn't do, and all the things I hadn't said. Sully's bright eyes and my brother's smile stealing the spotlight in that second.

But the pain never came. I opened my eyes to find Shane in front of me, half crouched. He had stopped the boarding knife Wakefield had been wielding in my direction… with his body. I gasped and yelled, "SHANE!"

* * *

And this is all for now. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I would like to hear what you thought, so review please! :D


	17. Trap

**Disclaimer: **Anything you might recognize from the show Harper's Island (characters and setting) doesn't belong to me. The only thing I own is Jamie Mance.

Hi! I want to thank Rebecca, Shannon012495, Courtney and Jo Harv, if my imagination alone didn't demanded that I keep writing, your wonderful reviews certainly would. I love to hear your reactions and thoughts. You make my day each time I check my mail account and see a review.

To Rebecca, I have no problem with multiple reviews (:D) and it's always good to hear that someone loves my story and that you're accepting my invitation to follow the characters in another step in their lives :) I try to catch as many errors as I can, but they keep getting sneakier and sneakier with each chapter. To Shannon012495, I'm glad you're enjoying :) To Courtney, I can't spoil the ending now, so that means you'll have to keep reading and see which path I'm gonna take :) To Jo Harv, okay, if I find a way to clone him I won't forget to make one for you too :)

And from now on all I can say is all bets are off, if you keep reading you'll probably understand why but I had to say it. Up to here, I tried to keep as close to the original as I possibly could, but from this point in time onwards things will get a little bit more creative, as I need to make changes to the course of the story. I hope you'll keep acompany me and these character because they still have a lot to do before I give them time to rest. Also, I have to say that this chapter wasn't reviewed by my beta so I apologize in advance for any mistakes.

And I felt like I talk too much, now it's time to let Jamie do the talking ;)

* * *

**Chapter the Seventeenth – _Trap_**

Wakefield staggered backwards, his right shoulder bleeding profusely. He looked at me with a deep scowl, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. He took one step towards the knife he had left embedded on Shane's shoulder, ready to take it and attack again when my friend groaned in pain, and grabbed the boarding knife first, yanking it from his body. Wakefield now stood weaponless.

He turned his eyes so full of hatred towards me, making shivers run up and down my spine, just before Shane stood up to his full height, boarding knife in one hand, hunting knife in the other, severing our locked gaze.

"Not so though now, are you?" Shane said as the monster reluctantly left. I wasn't fooled though. This was not the last we would see of him. We had to get out of the bar as soon as possible.

I ran to the bathroom, knocking frantically and yelling, "Trish open up. He's gone!"

I heard a gasp and shuffling of feet as the door opened and Trish's dark curled head appeared. She was shaking, the fear alive in her light eyes. Shea was behind her, clutching Madison deep to her chest and Chloe was already halfway out the small window. "We need to get out of here. He can come back at any time. Hurry."

As we were walking towards the bar, Trish uttered, "I know just the place we can go."

I nodded and prayed to God she was right.

* * *

Finally the hatch was closed and everyone crammed into the small attic of Abby's dad. It had taken us a lot of time to make it out of the Cannery, with Jimmy still unconscious, but we did it.

I almost lost it a couple of times; grabbing the hunting knife Shane had passed me, with all of my might, as he took possession of the nefarious boarding knife. Trish took the lead, pointing her weapon at anything that moved, while Shea and Chloe held Jimmy in between them. Shane and I took the rear with Madison crammed between her mother and me.

Halfway there my brother came round, thankfully. He was confused and probably a little scared by my watery reaction, but took it in stride as both Shane and I promised to tell him everything once we reached safe ground.

And now we were safe, for the moment at least.

But my brother's attention, like everyone else's, was on the wall of the attic covered with gruesome pictures and the table covered with even more pictures and other papers. My brother limped to the table; Shane groaned a bit as he slid to the floor; and as Chloe cast the light of her flashlight on a certain part of the board, I winced.

I approached it. Shea almost dragged her daughter away, something I could understand, giving the nature of most of the photos. Three of those captured my whole attention. Kelly's limp body, still hanged; another picture of her body taken at the autopsy; the last was of Kelly's eyes. I gulped: the white of her eyes was crimson.

The worst was that I knew this wasn't because of the hanging, no. **He** had done this. The small paper beside it, in Mr. Mills' handwriting, stated the redness of her eyes was caused by ink. I felt nauseated.

I felt Jimmy beside me, one of his hands on my shoulder, softly trying to pull me away. I turned sharply into his chest and cried, reveling in the sound of his strong heartbeat and feeling his arms closing around me. It was soothing in a way that I couldn't really explain.

Finally calmer I looked at him, getting into physician mode right away. He answered my questions with an annoyed look and as quickly as I fired them. Then I passed to Shane. But Jimmy followed, wanting to have his own questions answered.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is Shane yelling at me to get out of the boat, then…" he trailed off.

Then you blew up; then I thought you were dead; were the words forming in my mind. My hands went stiff where they were touching Shane's wound. He noticed and looked at me worried, taking the lead and answering Jimmy.

"It was Wakefield, man. The guy did it again...blew up the docks. Then he gave you back to us."

My brother took that information in, looking at me intensely, trying to read my face, a worried look on his eyes.

"What… Why? I mean, what happened next? Why are we here? Where are the others?" There was something akin to desperation on his soft grey eyes and a fear in his words that tugged deeply at my heart. Again Shane took point in answering, ending up telling Jimmy the events that lead up to us being here.

I could read my brother's response to the tale on his face like off a book. I saw the pain, the worry, the sorrow, the bout of anger (as Shane mentioned my refuse to leave them behind) and the fleeting pride.

But the silence soon followed. I returned my attention to Shane's wound. I had to stop the bleeding, even if he refused to let me inspect the cut properly. I looked around for some cloth, but there was nothing of the sort in that dusty attic.

Sighing I slid Sully's jacket off, picking up some whiffs of his scent, feeling my heart constrict with insane worry. Gripping the bottom of my green sweater, I ripped a piece and folded it, pressing it against Shane's wound.

I had barely stopped the bleeding, when Jimmy announced, "I'm going to town. Look for a radio or something. The sheriff station can't be the only place to have a working radio."

"You can't!" The fear was creeping back, crawling up my spine, and settling heavily on my chest. Silently Shane got up from the floor, ready to follow my brother. Were they crazy?

"We have too," he said already counting his best friend in. "Look, we'll be careful. I can't just sit around and do nothing," I could see he was almost begging me to understand. But couldn't he see my side?

"You we're blown up, Jimmy. I…I thought you were dead. And Shane? I saw the tip of that boarding knife through the back of his shoulder. You're both hurt, you can't do this!" I insisted.

Again the pain crossed his beautiful features but I could see the determination setting in. So I sighed, squared my shoulders and gave him the hunting knife that belonged to Shane. Then I turned my back on him, not being able to actually see them off, and started to search for anything to keep me busy.

* * *

Keeping my eyes away from the window and the board wasn't an easy feat. Chloe seemed to be quite entertained with the latter, shuddering ever so slightly whenever her lantern caught sight of Wakefield's mug shot. Shea was by her side, staring into the face of her father's murderer.

"What a horrible man," the oldest Wellington said.

I couldn't quite catch Madison's words, but they seemed to have pissed Chloe off. I was more interested in the elegant box that stood on top of one of the sheriff's cabinets. My curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. Inside laid a beautiful revolver along with six bullets.

I didn't know much about guns, the only thing I could truly admire was the exquisite beauty of it. I wondered why, with more than space in the station or even downstairs, would the sheriff keep this box in the attic. That's when the words on the plaque on the inside of the box caught my attention.

_For Charles Mills, Harper's Island Sheriff. _

_May the future hold even if only a fragment of what was once stolen._

I gulped, and then I understood. I remembered, vaguely, a gift Mr. Mills received a few months after he supposedly shot and killed John Wakefield. That was a congratulatory gift. Now I knew why he never displayed it, he was feeling guilty.

I could hear Trish's voice calling for attention. "You guys," she said as she unfolded a piece of paper and spread it on the table. "It's a tunnel system all over the island. Wait a second… There's another piece," she started to look for something, revolving the papers in the table. After she founded it, she placed it against the first one. "It's the Candlewick. The tunnels go everywhere!"

"This is how he gets around," uttered Chloe.

I looked amazed at the plants in front of us. It seemed Henry was right after all. Still, I was in shock at how much ground they truly covered.

Just before anything else could be said the church bells rang.

Trish ran to the window. "Someone signaling from the church."

"Could be one of the locals, maybe someone got help."

"Or Shane and Jimmy," but my tone wasn't that cheery due to the heavy disbelief coating my words.

"Maybe it's Henry," said Trish.

"Or Cal," Chloe added.

"If they went to the Cannery and we weren't there, they wouldn't know where to find us," the bride said hopeful.

I looked at Shea. She didn't look that certain and I knew why. What if we were wrong? As Chloe took hold of the only weapon we had I spoke up.

"What if it's Wakefield? What better way to get rid of all of us than to ran the church bells? Making sure no matter where we where we could still hear it."

The three grownups in the room turned to me. Chloe seemed determined, the mere possibility this could be Cal enough to make her overcame her fear. The same seemed to go for Trish, although her eyes did turn to the last two member of her family before the resolve could be read off her body language. She turned to me.

"You're welcome to stay if you want, Jamie. But I'm going."

I snorted. "As if. Of course I'm coming," there were too many people out there I cared about to be able to sit in this attic and play the waiting game. I was going. As Trish went to speak to her niece my eyes darted around until they settled on the box I had been checking earlier, an idea suddenly coming to mind.

I went to it, opening the lid and taking it out of its place, shoving down the slight guilt I felt for messing with Charlie's things. Then I took the bullets, trying to remember the little I knew about revolvers from the all the old black and white detective movies Jimmy made me watch. I fumbled with the heavy gun for a bit before I managed to open the cylinder and load it, snapping it back in place with a soft click.

I put on the jacket I had discarded early and followed Trish and Chloe out of the attic. The gun was safely tucked in the pocket of the jacket, my right hand closing over the handle tightly; my heart hammering on my chest; the adrenaline flowing freely on my veins, this was it. I only hoped we weren't about to walk straight into a trap

* * *

We ran, all the way to the church. Trish took the lead, Chloe by her side. I was in the back, closing the rear. We slowed down as we hit the first tombstones. I looked at the eerie scenario around us and felt a chill along with this oppressing feeling like I was being watched.

All of a sudden, Trish yelled and took off running towards three figures with flashlights, coming our way. "HENRY!"

The dark haired man breathed his beloved's name and they hugged. Danny looked worse for wear than when he left and I wondered what had happen. But Abby's broken glaze caught my attention. I grabbed her cold hand, a bit unsure. She squeezed back.

"I was so worried," Henry spoke looking at Trish.

She smiled a little as she said still out of breath, "Jamie and Shane saved us; she shot Wakefield,"

Henry looked impressed, Danny looked worried and Abby had a look on her face that was a cross between wonder and envy. I just shrugged.

"We left Shea and Madison in the sheriff's attic. They're okay," the bride continued.

"Is Jimmy with them?" Abby questioned, frantic.

I grabbed her hand again and she turned her dark eyes to me. "He's fine. He came round on the way to your dad's. He and Shane went into town to look for help."

She seemed relieved, but it was short lived. The conversation returned to what had brought us here: the church bells.

"Did you guys ring the bell?" Chloe asked.

Danny and Henry were quick to deny. I felt my heart skip a beat. Abby cut my train of thought, eyes blazing and strong voice, "Well somebody did. We came here to find out!"

I followed after her, again wondering what had happened. I mean it wasn't like Abby to be this reckless. She opened the church doors, stepping inside, poised to shoot, Chloe right behind her.

The blonde weakly called into the room, "Cal?" No answer. She tried again, a little strongly, "Cal?" Sill there was no answer. I felt a weight settled into my chest. I had a tiny ounce of hope that maybe Sully or Jimmy were here.

I was so caught up in my disappointment I didn't catch what Abby was saying. I heard the blond of our group stating we shouldn't be there and couldn't help but agree. I watched as Danny approached the candles and lighted one of them.

"Danny, what are you doing?" Abby asked when he did.

"I think we could use a prayer," he sounded broken.

As the rest spread out around the place I went to the boy's side. I wanted to know what had happened when they found Abby. But most of all now I wanted to know what happened to him. I stood by his side as he lighted a few more candles, staring at the flames. I gulped and tried to ignore the orange glow they cast, something about the simple light of that candle bothered me. I turned to him.

"What happened, Danny?"

He turned to me. I didn't like the glint I caught in his eyes. "Wakefield killed the Sheriff…He hanged him. He would've killed Abby too. We… I thought it was over, you know. He got his revenge… killed the sheriff. Then we get to the Cannery and I realized this isn't over until all of us are dead," now I understood where Abby was coming from. My heart broke for her.

But right then, my dark skinned friend needed me. I hugged him. "No, don't say that. Don't give up, Danny. That's what he wants."

Our embrace was cut short by a terrified scream. I turned and found Chloe, running to her, Danny a few steps behind me. She was shaking. I felt my stomach revolving at the sight of the bloody mess. I could see it was one of the sheriff's deputies.

Abby uttered something about the deputies from behind me. I turned to look at her just as Henry stated, "We have to get out of here."

"Yes please," I whispered, to no one in particular, still shocked.

Suddenly a sound of tires screeching and a bright yellow light illuminated the gloomy church. Everyone turned as one towards the windows; guns raised and ready to shoot.

"Hey! Who the hell is that?" Henry said.

My heart beat faster with the possibilities, half out of fear half out of hope. A hope I was willing away, because I didn't think I would take well with another disappointment.

But I forced my legs to move, moving forward and closer to the door, following the group, Abby and Henry in the lead. A light shone from the outside seconds before the tall frame of Sully, followed by Cal filled the entry way.

I couldn't see anything past the golden haired boy; I simply flung myself at him, feeling all the anxiety and fear ebb away as his strong arms caught me and held me close. I felt the tears, this time of happiness, run down my cheeks at the feel of him and couldn't help my impulses as my lips crashed on his.

It was short but it gave me hope and strength. I closed my eyes, not willing to let go of him just yet.

"Sully! Oh man, am I glad to see you," I heard Henry say.

"There's no boat," was his solemn response. Those words brought me down to the ground and to the reality of our predicament.

"We'll find a way," was the rather optimistic reply.

"Where's Chloe?" Cal asked.

I opened my eyes, turning to the pews where we had left Chloe; except she wasn't there. In fact, there was no one standing by the dead body.

"What are you talking about? She was…" the bride trailed off, like me, expecting to see her friend just behind her. "She was just next to me! Chloe?" she shouted.

"CHLOE!" the Englishman bellowed.

Panic rose in my chest. Where could she be? Sully gripped me tighter.

"Cal," Henry tried. The Englishman was gesturing wildly, blindly looking pew by pew, and trying to find his beloved. "CAL!" the groom shouted, grabbing him by the arms. "Calm down," the blonde looked ready to snap at him, but Henry kept his cool. "Let's focus, okay? This church is big, but there aren't that many places she could be, okay?" Without waiting for a response, he turned to us. "Let's split up and search everything. No one walks off alone and I want at least one weapon for each group, okay? Danny, Sully and Jamie, you search the rectory. The rest come with me."

The three of us got moving. I was leading the way, being pretty accustomed with the building from the time I used to play hide and seek here, with my brother and friends. I remembered how mad Reverend Fain used to get every time we did that. I sighed at the memory, my heart constricting a bit.

The entrance to the rectory was behind the altar to the left side. I tried to force my head to look the other way but it was too late. The bright yellow tape and the fallen chandelier brought back the memory of the day of the damned rehearsal. I shivered and got a little closer to Sully. He noticed my movement and smiled a little.

We walked in utter silence, my previous joy now tainted with Chloe's disappearance. It was bittersweet really, now that Cal was here she was the one missing. My hand, fisted in Sully's dark blue t-shirt tightened a tad more. I didn't want to be here, I wanted to be at home, safe, away from this island and that monster.

Stressed beyond belief and needing to hear something other than the heavy breathings of the three of us, I updated Sully. Danny interrupted occasionally, mainly relaying what he and Henry found when they found Abby. As we were nearing the very back of the rectory, both of them fell silent, waiting for me to tell how exactly we got away of the Cannery.

I sighed as I told them, being as sketchy as I could without lying. I sensed a change in the air; I could almost feel the tension rolling off of Sully now. Suddenly he stopped walking.

"Are you crazy? Going for the freaking gun instead of running? What were you thinking? " He seemed quite furious.

"What was I supposed to do? Leave Shane there? He had a hunting knife while Wakefield had damned boarding knife. Wakefield would've killed him!" I said as I let go of him and took a couple of steps back. Now needing the space just as a few moments ago I had needed the closeness.

Promptly a dark look crossed his face. "Then what you're saying is that you risked your life for his? Is that it?" His voice was hard, but I could also spot something else in his words I couldn't for the life of me figure out.

"No, I was trying to get the bastard that killed my best friend from growing up, blew up my brother and killed the woman that was like a mother to me. And of course, I couldn't let him take Shane too!" I said trying to make him understand.

"Of course," he spat. Our breathings were heavy and as he kept giving me that intense look I wondered where all that anger seemed to come from. But before I could say anything, he was already walking away and that pissed me off.

I took a deep breath before following him, Danny right behind me. I could see the first rays of dawn through the windows. As I passed the altar Cal's voice reached me.

"How could she just vanish?"

"She couldn't have. We have to keep looking." Henry said with a hard look on his face.

I couldn't help but feel guilty for being worried with Sully when Chloe was missing.

"We have been," the guy in question said.

"I don't understand!" Cal said, anger and desperation heavy on his voice.

"He was here." Trish stated quietly, making everyone turn to her. "Wakefield was here," she repeated, more agitated. "He took Chloe!" then she took the plans of the tunnels from her back pocket and showed them to us, continuing. "Look! There's a tunnel under the church. I found this at your dad's house," she said to Abby who stood right beside her. "It's a blueprint of the tunnels all over the island."

Just then we heard a noise. It seemed like something hitting wood. The sound was coming from somewhere behind me, from the other door to the church. Henry had his gun raised in a flash, Cal and Sully following suit. Then the door opened and in came Jimmy and Shane.

I released the breath I had been holding and walked to them, Abby throwing herself at Jimmy. I caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes and then I remembered she hadn't seen him awake. I rubbed his good arm briefly, before leaving them to go to Shane's side, which had dropped into one of the pews, looking tired and rubbing his shoulder.

"You okay, big guy? Are you in pain?" I asked quietly knowing he would be less willingly to respond if there was an audiance. Men and their pride, I thought shaking my head.

I felt that sensation of being watched again, but this time I knew perfectly well were it was coming from. The blue eyes watching me were hard and somehow distrusting. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from yelling in frustration.

Shane touched my arm softly, to get my attention. "You guys rang the bell, Shorty?"

I shook my head. "Wakefield. He killed a deputy before we got here. Then took advantage of our distraction and took Chloe," he gave me a look. I sighed and explained, "The tall blonde one."

I turned to look at my brother, noticing the paleness of his face, berating me for not having noticed earlier. Now on top of that he looked tired. My gaze turned into a glare. He shouldn't have made such a big effort, why couldn't he trust me? I was the one with the medical knowledge around here.

I paid attention to his words. "Shane and I went to town to get some help, but it's empty. Then we heard the church bells and that's when we decided to come here."

I walked towards him and hugged him as tightly as I dared; trying to swallow the tears that insisted to make their presence know in my eyes at the sight of Jimmy's many wounds in this harsh bright light.

"Over here!" Cal yelled. Henry and Sully were the first there and helped. "C'mon, open this."

"Be careful," Sully warned.

Danny was pointing his shotgun at the entrance that was about to be disclosed. Cal and Henry opened the trapdoor. Again it amazed me how this was kept hidden for so many years.

Trish and Abby were trying to make heads and tails of the blueprints. Shane stood a little to the back, looking rather bored. I shook my head at his antagonistic attitude and changed my focus to Abby's words.

"So, it looks like there are three entrances to the tunnel: the candlewick, here at the church and the storm drain. So if we block all those…" she trailed off.

Trish was nodding even before speaking. "He'll be trapped."

Henry was helping the girls. He pointed something out. "What's this, where does this go?"

"We'll find out," Abby said, lifting her gaze from the blueprint.

Henry took the command of the situation again. "Trish you, Jimmy and Shane take Nikki's car; block off that storm drain entrance."

"I know where it is. It's where we found Madison," she picked up her shotgun.

"Stay there, we'll come get you," her fiancé said more soflty.

Jimmy and Shane each gave me a brief hug before leaving, with equally grim faces. They were almost by the doors when Trish said, "Actually couldn't one of you guys go check on Shea and Madison? They should be freaking out by now." But there was also an inkling of fear on her face. Jimmy opened his mouth but Henry looked at Shane.

"Would you mind going, Shane?"

He shrugged his shoulders but nodded, gripping the boarding knife a little harder. That thing still sent shivers down my spine.

When I turned back to the action, my heart beating a little faster at the thought of parting from the one's I loved again, Henry was giving directions to Danny and Sully. I stood back purposefully, not intending on going with them, seeing as how I was still miffed with Sully. Call me bipolar, but that's was just the way I was feeling right now.

"C'mon, let's go!" Cal shouted impatiently.

"Seal off this entrance," Henry said to the tall blonde boy.

Sully's face was grave as he whispered something to Henry I couldn't hear. I had a guess at what it was thanks to Abby's words. The blonde boy acquiesced and then whirled around to speak to Cal. "Be careful down there, and bring her back."

Cal smiled tightly and went right in, Henry following suit, then Abby. Before I could start descending, Sully grabbed my arm. "Listen… Be careful and don't do anything stupid," I opened my mouth to protest, but he was faster. "Please," that last word was pronounced with so much emotion that took me aback a little bit, so much so, that I only nodded.

They shut the trapdoor, allowing the darkness to envelop all four of us and I could almost feel it seep into my bones. I so had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

So...? What do you think? Like it? Drop me a line, will you guys? ;)


	18. On The Edge

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I don't own anything you from the tv show _Harper's Island_. My only possession in this fic is Jamie Mance and the few twists and turns her presence caused.

I want to thank RWolfe94, Rebecca, Courtney, Stoner Guru Ron Slater, Shannon012495, Jo Harv and Vanilla Sunset In The Sky. Your reviews are a great inspiration for me :)

To RWolfe, I hope you enjoy this chapter. To Rebecca, thanks for calling my attention to that mistake (blushes). I must admit I smile every time I write boarding knife too, because of that warning you made a few reviews ago ;) I try to correct as many mistake as I can find, the fact that English isn't my first language hinders that a bit too, but I'm always double check each chapter before putting it online and have the online dictionary or my paper one always at hand. But sometimes it's just my natural distraction. Sorry :) To Courtney, I'm glad the story makes you feel that way and thanks for the trust, I'll do my best not to disapoint :) To Stoner Guru Ron Slater, your question is answered in this chapter, enjoy :) To Shannon012495, I'm glad you liked it :) To Jo Harv, he is, yeah. As for Shane, well they think Wakefield is in the tunnels so they don't see the danger :) To Vanilla Sunset In The Sky, I'm honoured you feel that way about my story :)

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Chapter eighteenth – On the Edge**

Seconds after the trapdoor was closed I heard something being dragged on top of it. Now we were trapped in here as much as Wakefield was. I shivered at that thought, following behind my three friends. The tunnel was damp and dark, the only light coming from their flashlights. I berated myself for not being wise enough to bring one myself, but there wasn't a lot I could do about it now.

No one spoke for quite a long while. Abby indicated the way, every other turn. Cal was walking fast, carelessly.

"Wait up Cal, we need to be careful!" Henry lightly admonished.

"Yeah, if we wait too long she'll be dead. And I'm not having that," was his answer.

The path in front of us branched out in two opposite ways. Abby checked the blueprint and pointed to the path on the right. "This way."

Cal stalked forward but lessened his pace a bit. "Why is he doing this? Why us?" he asked, with such a desperation in his voice that tugged at my heartstrings mightily.

"I don't know," Abby answered. "You know how I was worried it was because of me or… or my dad? Now my dad's dead. Wakefield's hasn't stop. There's got be something else," I shivered as I remembered the vicious way that monster attacked us at the Cannery **after** he had killed the Sheriff. She was right.

I noticed the effort Cal was making to hold up the shotgun. "How is the shoulder holding up?"

The Englishman looked at me and tried to smile, shaking his head. "It's doing okay, don't worry. Sully did a good work of it actually," I might've believed him, if he hadn't emitted a low hiss when he gun knocked on his wounded shoulder.

My thoughts then flew to Sully. I was still angry with him. Why couldn't he, for once in his life, just stop and listen to me? He had a knack to jump to conclusions and then turn his back on me. How were we supposed to work together if he kept walking out? How could I trust him?

Before I could keep that line of reasoning Cal took off running. I had been so into my own little world I hadn't caught the end of the conversation or the way we were going. He shouted his beloved's name down a round and large tube. It was long, but I could catch a few glimpses of natural light streaming in. Cal ignored Henry's calls again and entered the tube, first crawling then crouching. I followed him immediately, worried with my friend. I heard someone behind me and I looked, finding Abby's dark eyes staring back at me.

As I hopped off the tube I saw a wire fence in front of me, protecting the unsuspecting walkers of a tumble straight into the river bellow us. As Cal approached the fence he bellowed, "CHLOE!"

We got deeper into the woods, going over tree roots and fallen branches. The air was cold, only adding up to the eerie atmosphere. I didn't recognize this part of the island and I couldn't see any place where Chloe could be in. I started to get a feeling that this whole plan was about to terribly backfire on us.

Cal seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he said, "I thought we were gonna trap him! She could be anywhere!"

He kept going forward and I followed. I joined my voice to his calling for Chloe. If she could only hear us, maybe she could answer back and we would be able to pinpoint her location in this maze of green.

"We'll never find her," the blonde breathed desperate.

"Of course we will. Don't say that! You still have a question to ask her."

He looked at me and I could see he was near the edge. We really had to find her.

"CHLOE!" I bellowed.

A few seconds after, he stopped and asked, "You hear that?"

Henry and Abby had joined us just a few moments ago. I shook my head and tried to concentrate but I still couldn't hear a thing. Abby shook her head no.

"It was Chloe. Had to be," the Englishman said in a rush before taking off running again.

"Cal! Cal, wait!" Henry warned, following.

Completely ignoring the dark haired man, Cal continued, "It came from over here!"

Henry finally caught up with him. "Hey! Wait, wait, shh" he said.

"It's Chloe!" Cal replied.

The three of us followed him. We came to stand near another wire fence. Cal yelled and we all waited. It was hard to hear with the roaring of the river bellow. He climbed a small hill and yelled one more time.

He was facing us and so he didn't saw it. But Abby and I did. I froze, while she was quick to aim, yell at Cal to get down and shoot. The shot was off, but Wakefield didn't even flinch. In the time that took Abby to reload he was already gone. She chased after him, I was about to follow, when Henry stepped in front of me, turning to Cal and I.

"Go find Chloe and then get her out of here. Don't wait for us. Help him Jamie."

I nodded and stared at his retreating back for only a second before returning to the search. He was constantly yelling her name and then I heard a response. I still couldn't make where the sound was coming from, though it seemed like she was banging on metal. So the logical step seemed to be descend the stairs that lead onto a metal bridge. Cal was close on my heels, looking to the river bellow. I got halfway into the bride before my path was halted, forcefully. Smack dab in the middle of the bridge was a locked gate.

"Chloe! Chloe can you hear me?"

I heard the banging noise again, this time closer.

"Chloe yes, yes, yes, I hear you!" There was more banging. "Tell me what you can hear."

Her answer was faint, but definitely closer. "I hear water… to the left of me. I'm in a drain or something…" I couldn't quite catch the rest.

I was still looking around when I noticed Cal was no longer near me. I heard his voice somewhere to my left and saw the Englishman descend a metal ladder I hadn't noticed before, right on the side of the bridge. I ran to him, already hearing the girl's voice getting stronger.

When I caught up with him he was trying to pull open the storm drain, but Wakefield had locked it. I could hear Chloe's cries and then Cal told her to stand back. Next he picked up the shotgun and aimed it at the lock, blasting it to pieces.

Relief flooded me when Cal started pulling Chloe out of that dreadful place. I helped him and soon she was out and smothering Cal with kisses. She looked awful but she was alive and breathing and that was all that mattered. She smiled at me from over her Englishman's shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt but we better move."

They broke apart and made their way up the ladder until they finally rested on the forest ground. They resumed their reunion, with Cal proposing and I felt like such an intruder, I turned my back on them and stared at the water. My hands were gripping the edge of the wire fence, feeling the fear slowly return to my body. We were not safe yet.

Just as I turned, intent on hurrying them, I saw him. I yelled in fear and both of them followed my gaze. Chloe shrieked and Cal bellowed, "RUN!" Then he aimed and took shot at Wakefield, but failed. He tried to do it again, only to realize he was out of ammunition.

I didn't realize Chloe was already running and blanched when I spotted her form descending the steps. "NO, Chloe don't go that way. The gate's locked!"

Both of them froze on their tracks when my words sunk in. Unfortunately we had no time to change course now, seeing as how Wakefield was already coming closer and was armed with what seemed to be a head spade. I pushed them forward. My mind working a mile a minute, trying to find a way out of this and my heart pounding like mad when suddenly I remember the revolver in my pocket and the way Cal had freed Chloe.

I got closer to the gate, a grim smile stretched across my face, as I took the revolver out. Cal noticed it first and must've understood my intent because not a second later he pulled is fiancée out of the way. I aimed at the heavy looking padlock that stood between us and our escape and pulled the trigger.

It made a dent, but unlike the movies, the padlock didn't shatter into pieces. Panic started to fill me. I looked behind me when I heard Chloe shriek again and shot a second time, this time making the padlock fall to the ground, broken.

The couple behind me rejoiced for a moment before opening the gate and passing through. I didn't follow immediately, my eyes drawn to Wakefield's now enraged face. He took a step closer and I raised the revolver. He stopped and smirked, making my heart sink lower with fear. The guy wasn't invulnerable, why the hell wasn't he backing down?

I shot once, and missed. The smirk faltered for a second before returning. I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me back and I slowly started to move. The problem was for every step I took backwards, the monster took one forwards. I now had three bullets left. My hands were shaking too much, the revolver was too small and the smallest movement would surely make me miss the shot. Damn it! I had learned how to shoot a shotgun, a sturdy weapon, not this small thing.

"When we hit the tree line, we run, okay?" I whispered to the frightened couple behind me.

"Okay," Cal replied.

I didn't know if this would work, I could only hope so. Maybe the thick foliage would give us enough time to escape. Either way I still had three shots left.

Then something changed in our dance. Wakefield was walking faster towards us. I shot, this time very closer to his head and he actually moved, stalling his advances. He was by the gate and we were still a few steps away from the forest.

Our gazes were locked in an intense glare. He took another step forward, enraged. In that moment a strong shot, undoubtedly coming from a shotgun, echoed around us, making me flinch. I scanned the woods from where Wakefield had come from and spot two figures in the distance. Abby and Henry, I was sure. The shots continued and I took that as a cue to speed things up.

"Run!" I whispered and then the three of us were almost flying through the last steps of the bridge and into the woods. I could hear the sound of his heavy boots thudding loudly in the metal bridge following us, moments before the forest ground softened it.

I almost pushed them as I kept glancing backwards. But slowly the thuds were dropping behind. I saw something move from the corner of my eyes and shot at it. It turned out to be nothing but that only impelled me further.

We ran until we were completely out of breath. I kept glancing around, scanning the woods in search of the monster chasing after us. I strained my ears to try and spot anything like the heavy thud or even a rustle of leaves. I was relieved when I found nothing of the sort and dropped to the forest floor, wiped out.

Chloe was softly crying against Cal and he was trying to comfort her in between his panting. His voice got higher as he said to me, "I think we ma-"

"Don't say that!" I cut him off. "The moment someone say those words something always seems to happen, so don't say anything."

"Can't I even thank you?" He said, his voice returning to a normal pitch and his humor returning to his eyes.

I smiled a bit and could feel myself relax a bit as I stood up. "Maybe. Try and do that when your butt is resting peacefully on a boat to the mainland. Now let's go, I think I know where we are."

If I was right, we should be close to the Candlewick; from there I could find my way back to the Sheriff's house and hopefully we could meet up with Shane, Madison and Shea.

I looked around one last time before starting to walk, my pace not quite running but not leisurely walking either.

_Sully's Interlude_

The morning mist hadn't quite dissipated yet. Sully walked warily forward, a bad feeling creeping up his spine, not that he would ever admit to such a thing. He had done too much admitting already.

His mind was working furiously, trying to steer clear of the dark images that insisted on tormenting him.

"How're we supposed to find anybody in all this…nature?" Danny asked.

Glad with the interruption and with a plan forming in the back of his mind, Sully said, "We could split up."

"Yeah, let's make it easier for the psychopath to kill us," Danny shot back sarcastically.

"Well, we would cover more ground that way."

"If we stick together, we have each other's back."

"Look! He's not an army, okay? It's just one guy. Right?" _Then why are you sweating so much? Why is your heart pounding?_ A mutinous voice whispered in his head. "Besides, I have a plan," he grinned and he could almost read the apprehension off of Danny.

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this?"

"'Cause you know me," Sully muttered under his breath before starting to clue Danny in the plan.

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The forest was eerily silent. From his spot he had a clear view of everything surrounding Danny and still remained hidden. They had been doing the same thing for roughly ten minutes.

Danny would walk slowly towards him, much like he was doing now, then he would wait a couple of minutes, and then he would walk back to the place he had started.

Suddenly Sully saw something. He sat up straighter as the shadow took the form of Wakefield. He got closer to Danny, until he was just behind his friend. Jumping from the woods Sully aimed and fired before the bastard had time to react.

He fell to the ground clutching his head. They didn't lose a second and soon both shotguns were pointing at the rolling body in the dirt path.

"I told you it would work," Sully said smugly.

"Yeah… Next time you're the bait," was Danny's reply.

From behind Sully heard footsteps. Abby and Henry were running towards them. The blonde's heart skipped a beat when no one else followed. His eyes snapped to Wakefield. The man was starting to get on his knees. He gripped the shotgun tightly, turning to one of his best friends.

"Where's Jamie?"

Sully didn't like the look that passed between Henry and Abby. He didn't like the pain that seemed to shine in Abner's face. The silence that followed his question was the only push he needed to careen over the edge.

Dropping the shotgun Sully punched Wakefield square in the chin. But he didn't stop there; he kept pounding the man, yelling obscenities. His mind jumping to conclusions and being clouded with pain and anger.

Danny and Henry pulled him off of Wakefield. The killer straightened and the only thing stopping him from pounce on all three was the barrel of Abby's gun still aimed at his head.

"Let me go! He killed her, man. That bastard killed Jamie!" Sully growled angrily.

"We don't know that," Henry got in between Sully almost mad ranting. He then proceeded to explain what had happened on the bridge. The blond haired boy calmed a bit, but the uneasy feeling didn't abandon him.

He turned to Wakefield and asked, "Did you do something to Jamie? Where is she? Answer me you bastard!" He yelled, grabbing Wakefield by his collar. The killer smirked but kept silent. That infuriated the blond more than anything and he punched the man again. The murderer fell to his hands and knees and Sully repeated his questions one last time. He got no answer so he placed a final kick on the man's middle and was pulled away by Danny, panting.

Sully started pacing, unable to stay still. He kept glancing in the direction of the bastard that had killed so many people already. He wanted to kill him, but thoughts of Jamie stopped him. He would get the truth out of the bastard, one way or the other.

When Henry and Danny finished tying him up with their belts, they picked him up from the floor. Abby breathed from beside him. "It's over. We got him!" Her grin only lasted a second before Sully interrupted.

"Not until we find Jamie."

"And Cal and Chloe," added the dark skinned boy.

"Okay, we should go to the sheriff's station, lock him up then we go look for Jamie, Cal and Chloe," Abby said.

With that settled, Sully stalked off, fear and anger fueling him.

_End of Sully's Interlude_

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Now if you could just drop me a line... :)


	19. Suspicions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you might recognize (characters and settings) from the tv show Harper's Island. I just own Jamie and a few tweaks in the story.

Hi guys! I want to thank RWolfe94, Courtney, Rebecca, Jo Harv, bogvampire21, Shannon012495 and Cassie, you guys are amazing and your reviews do wonders for me, it's nice to know my story is being appreciated :D

To RWolfe94, I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Cal and Chloe kind of grew on me as I was writing this story so I had to save them :) To Courtney, I'm glad you liked the twists and there's more coming ;) To Rebecca, I'm glad you're liking the story and your support is very much appreciated :) To Jo Harv, that's just how Jamie is, always trying to help people. She is a doctor after all :) To bogvampire, it's always nice to hear from new reviewers, especially if you love this story :D To Shannon012495, I couldn't resist to write that part and I'm glad you liked it :) To Cassie, like I said before I always enjoy hearing from new people. I'm glad you're enjoying the story :D

Now it's time to get to the chapter...

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****Chapter the nineteenth – **_**Suspicions**_

I was a little off in my calculations, but after half an hour we finally reached the Candlewick. I was still hyper-alert, worry clouding my mind heavily. **He** was still out there. What if he had gone after the others? Thoughts of my friends making me walk a tad faster and ignore the calls from Chloe, who was with her fiancé walking a little behind me.

The now shining sun did nothing to warm me. The coldness had set deep inside of me and I wondered if it would ever go away. I wanted to believe that so badly, just like I wanted to believe I would get out of here; that we all would. God I just wanted to go home. Was that too much to ask?

There was a curve in the road up ahead. I warily took the lead with the revolver raised in front to me, just like in the movies. Hell, all of this was becoming like a horror movie. Thankfully the road was clear so I signaled for Cal and Chloe to return to the main path and continue. Before long the sheriff's house was looming and I breathed a sigh of relief. Picking up my pace a little bit, after making sure I could still see the couple behind me, I walked up the few wooden steps and reached for the doorknob.

The door burst open and I fell on my backside in surprise. I was fumbling for the gun when I heard Abby's voice. I looked up and there my friend stood, safe and sound. The relief doubled and I got up as fast as I could, hugging her close.

"Jamie, we were so worried. Are you okay? Where are Cal and Chloe?"

I pointed behind me, feeling the tears close my throat and effectively rendering me mute. I simply hugged her, so incredibly happy she was safe. But what she whispered in my ears, that's what really made my heart soar with joy.

I heard Chloe shriek behind me and I knew someone must've told her the news as well: Wakefield had been arrested.

I felt the exhaustion caught up with me and swayed a little on my feet.

"Hey, are you okay?" Abby asked, worry marring her features.

"I think I need to rest," I answered, feeling my eyelids drop against my will.

"The station isn't that far off, you'll rest there," she said anxiously.

"Why can't we rest here? I'm so tired Abby," I whined.

The fact she didn't answer immediately raised a red flag in my mind. "What's wrong Abby?"

She told me about Sully and I agreed to go to the station. There was no point in making him worry anymore, no matter how pissed I had been with him earlier. Besides, it was kind of flattering he had beat up Wakefield because of me. The problem was my body was having a little trouble accepting my decision and was rebelling against my brain's orders. In the end Shane had to help me walk.

But he was silent, much too silent for my taste. "So how you're holding up?"

"Dandy, Shorty," was my friend's curt reply.

"Don't lie to me, Shane. I know you too well."

He took some time to voice his thoughts. So much I actually thought he was going to ignore me. "He's still alive. He killed Kelly, Nikki, he blew up Jimmy and he pierced my shoulder and he's still alive," he shook his head, anger flaring up behind those dark eyes. "They should've killed them. The rough up your little boyfriend give him wasn't enough."

I decided to ignore the comment about Sully and instead tried to reason with him, "We're not killers Shane. We're not like him!"

He gave me a dark look and got pretty much silent after that.

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The walk wasn't that long but I was getting more tired by the second, although I did perk up a little when I saw the sheriff's station. Abby and Shea were helping Cal and Chloe, who seem to be suffering from the same exhaustion I was and so were a little behind. Madison was walking in front of me and entered the station first. I heard Sully's voice from inside and felt a smile stretch across my tired face. Shane tensed up but at that point I couldn't find the strength to care, all I wanted was to see Sully, see his smile, feel his arms surrounding me...

He looked at the door, his eyes going from Madison to Shane and then stopping on me. There was panic written on his face, it lasted a couple of seconds and then he was running towards me.

He practically ripped me from Shane's arms, with a slight growl I might add, but I filed that for later pondering. I choose to pay attention to the way he just held me, the way his blue eyes bored into my green ones, on the way he pressed his lips to mine in a desperate kiss...

When we broke apart we were both breathing hard. I snaked my tired arms around him and simply hugged him, burying my face on his chest and feeling the tears spill from my eyes, all the fear, all the dread that gripped me on that bridge finally making its way to the surface. We stayed like that for so long that when he let go of me I kind of lost my balance.

"Whoa, Jamie, are you okay?" He said more worried than I had ever heard him.

"Just tired," I said with a deep sigh. He helped me get to one of the chairs. He was about to help me sit down, but I shook my head. "You sit. No matter how comfortable that chair is, you're more," he smirked in response but did what I asked. Enduring that smirk of his was a small price to pay for my comfort.

I closed my eyes and tried to rest, if not sleep. The noise around me picked up but everything kind of started to blur together. I was on the verge of slumber when the door suddenly burst open.

I raised my head from Sully's shoulder, rubbing my eyes as I took in the frazzled looking Henry. Something was wrong.

"Trish and Jimmy weren't at the car. I searched all around it and I can't find them." The news made a weight drop on my stomach and I felt instantly more alert. I glanced at Shane and saw him pale significantly.

Danny calmly reasoned. "It couldn't have been Wakefield. He was nowhere near Nikki's car."

"I left them a note saying we were on the sheriff's station. I told them we've got Wakefield. Why did they leave the car?"

"Henry, she's with Jimmy, I'm sure they're okay," Abby said, trying to reassure her best friend. For a split second it looked like he was going to say something, but he ended up agreeing with her.

"I found something at the sheriff's house, in the attic," said Shea. All eyes turn to her. I was confused.

"What?" Henry questioned.

"It was a file; it was a mug shot of Jimmy. Arrest records! He was arrested here on the island," I didn't like where this was going one bit. Was she accusing my brother?

"What for? I mean, a lot of the guys-"Abby started, but was cut short by Shea.

"He was also a murder suspect…In Seattle," I stiffened. She **was** accusing him. I looked enraged around the room and saw the suspicion begin to cloud most of the faces, while Shane just looked pissed, like me.

"The Wakefield copycat…" Henry almost breathed.

I turned around and tried to look in Sully's eyes. He tried to escape my gaze but I took hold of his chin forcefully. The suspicion was also shining in those beautiful blue orbs. I got up immediately with a huff. He tried to keep me on his lap but I glared at him and he released me with a sigh. The good and relaxed mood was effectively over.

"Your dad was looking at Jimmy?" Henry said to Abby in disbelief.

I was about to speak in Jimmy's defense when Madison arrived in the room, coming from the holding cells. I closed my mouth, momentarily stunned after seeing the girl deliver a message from Wakefield to Abby. What the hell was she doing in there? After relaying the message, the little girl returned to her mother's side, while my friend walked into the holding cells.

I turned to the room, but focused on Shea. "Jimmy got in a few bar fights here at the island, nothing big," I stated crossing my arms in front of my chest, my tone of voice a little harsh.

"What about Seattle?" Sully asked, in a subdued voice. I turned sharply to him, glaring.

"He was working in the docks when someone got killed nearby. He was the new guy and was sleeping in his truck, so he was brought in for questioning, big deal. He was out in a couple of hours; they didn't have anything on him," I snapped.

"That doesn't mean he's innocent," Chloe said, from the very back of the room, where she stood holding Cal.

"It's not only that," Sully said, interrupting my concentrated glare directed at Chloe. "He escaped death twice now. First in that explosion, then when Wakefield brought him to the Cannery. You got to admit it's weird." He sounded almost pained. I almost felt sorry for him.

"No, Wakefield was just using Jimmy. He was bait to get Abby to the hotel," Henry reasoned.

Another voice rose, another one ready to deliver a nail to my brother's coffin. "The head spade rig at the church. Jimmy is a fisherman, right? Works with that kind of thing all the time."

"But why? Jimmy hardly knew my dad, or anyone else at the wedding," Shea replied.

I nodded. But then Henry got this look on his face and uttered, "Abby."

"Yeah, this all started when she came back to the island. I mean, Jimmy hadn't seen her in what, like seven years? He must've hated that," Sully picked up on Henry's train of thought.

"He was pretty torn up," Henry piped in.

"He was hurt, yeah. But he didn't want to kill her, Jesus!" I yelled.

"Maybe not, but maybe he wanted to hurt her. What better way than to throw in with Wakefield!" The blonde said raising his voice.

"Jimmy and Wakefield?" Shea mused.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, okay?" Everyone, aside from Shane and surprisingly Cal, were giving me a doubtful look. "Hey, should I remind all of you that a couple of hours ago we were convinced the Sheriff was the killer? And couple of hours before that, it was JD. And we had far more solid evidence on them than we have on my brother."

That seemed to quiet them a bit, but as soon as the silence took over the station, the door burst open again. This time my brother walked in, alone, and Henry went straight to him. "Where's Trish?"

"She fell, at the bluffs." I cringed. This didn't sound good. "I couldn't get to her. We gottta get out there," I tried to go to his side, to try and explain to him but Sully stepped in front of me, cutting my route to Jimmy. I frowned.

"Wait, the bluffs? What were you doing at the bluffs? You were supposed to stay at the grate."

"We were trying to flag a ship," he sounded tired. "What… We…We need some rope," he said fumbling with his words. As he advanced more into the station Henry took his shotgun from him.

"What is this?" Jimmy asked.

"They-" I started.

Sully cut me off. "You don't need it anymore."

As I peered at Henry and Sully's faces I felt a little worried. Shane came to my side. Danny eyed Shane warily. The tension was palpable.

"We already got Wakefield, remember?" Henry said.

"Yeah, and look, I got the note and that's great. Look I don't know what's going on around here, but Trish is in trouble, are we gonna help her, or not?" He said, now sounding distressed.

Suddenly Henry's face darkened and he snapped, advancing towards Jimmy, as if to hit him. "What did you do?" He roared.

"What are you talking about?" Jimmy asked as Sully pulled him away from an enraged Henry.

"You liar!" the groom kept going on. Abby returned from the holding cells and went straight to her friend and tried to calm him down. Shane pushed Sully away from my brother, all the while glaring at the blonde.

"Henry, what are you doing? What's this?" She asked alarmed, looking from Henry to Jimmy.

"You tell me," Jimmy said to her.

"Where's Trish?"

"She fell. Abby I came here to get help. What the hell's going on around here?" He then turned to me, a sad and confused look on his face.

Abby took a step back, away from my brother. The pain flashed on his face for a second. "There have been some questions," Abby said on a small almost ashamed voice.

"They think you're working with Wakefield, Jimmy," I stated angrily. There was no reason to sugar coat it.

Everyone fell silent after that. Jimmy looked around the room confused. "What?" Again I tried to get close to him, but Sully got in the way. I pushed him a bit but he remained in the same place. That was starting to annoy me.

"Is she dead?" Henry asked.

"Like I said, she fell."

"You know, the more you say that, the worse it sounds."

I could see the desperation on my brother's movements. "Okay, look, what if it's true, and you're fiancée's in trouble and we're just hanging around?"

"He's lying."

I heard Shane snigger and give Sully a dirty look. Everyone then looked at Henry, as if he had the last word. My brother looked at me a little lost and confused.

"We'll get rope… You take us to the bluffs. If Trish isn't there…" he left the sentence hanging, in a clear threat. I looked at my brother, his eyes were flashing and his jaw was tightening, a sure sign he was mad, but he refrained from saying something. He knew it wouldn't help his case any.

"Well I'm going with you," Abby said.

"Yeah, me too," said Shane. "I don't trust you," he continued, looking pointedly at Sully. Henry gave him a dark look but stiffly nodded. I mean he couldn't very well forbid Shane from going, now could he?

Henry and Abby went to get some rope. Shane passed me then, I touched his hand briefly and frowned, it was hot. It was too hot.

"What is it, Shorty?" He asked as I tried to feel his forehead. He moved, avoiding my hand.

"Be still, Shane."

As my hand made full contact with his forehead I confirmed my suspicions, he was burning up. "You're running a fever!"

"So?"

"So maybe it's better you stay. Let me go," he gave me an annoyed look.

"I'm fine, Shorty, no big deal."

I was about to protest when he swayed dangerously and almost fell, right on top of me. Danny being the closest to us helped me in getting Shane into a chair. He groaned in pain and made no attempts to get up. The wound on his shoulder must've infected. He was in no shape to go out all the way to the bluffs.

Cal wandered near us and touched my shoulder briefly. "If you want to go with your brother, I can take care of him," he said pointing to Shane.

I smiled and remembered he had been one of the few that hadn't looked at Jimmy with suspicion, that alone made him a very good person in my eyes and now he was doing this. I assented and warned, "He can be a very difficult patient so I'm gonna apologize in advance because he'll most certainly offend you."

The blonde simply smiled and took my place near Shane without a word. I then walked to the group standing by the door. "I'm going with you," I announced simply and got out, avoiding Sully's eyes.

_____________

The trek to the bluffs was swift and done in complete silence; the awkward and tense kind. Henry finally broke it just as we were getting to our destination.

"Tell me again what happen? Why were you in the bluffs?" His voice was so cold and tense that it almost didn't seem to belong to him.

"I told you, we were trying to flag a ship. Only when we got here the ship was gone. Trish lost her footing and fell over the edge, about halfway down," my brother said, peering down.

"TRISH!" Henry shouted near the edge.

I gulped when I saw the height. I wasn't afraid of heights but they didn't sit too well with me. I felt Sully coming behind me and tensed even more.

"I tried to get down there, but the rocks are slippery," Jimmy said, preparing the rope.

"But why didn't you find another way down?" Sully asked.

"Couldn't get close enough."

"There's a ledge, if she fell, maybe she's down there and we can see her," Abby mused. I peered down there, feeling weak.

"If she fell or if she was pushed? TRISH!" I threw Henry a dark look, biting my tongue not to lash out. I knew he was upset but my brother wasn't a murderer.

"We gotta get down there. I'm going first," Henry stated, seeing Jimmy securing the rope.

Oh boy, what did I sign on this time?

__________________

I was the last to climb down. Sully helped me the last bit but let go of me really fast. I turned to look around the place where we had landed and felt my heart constrict in my chest: there were no signs of Trish anywhere.

Henry's angry voice reached me then; apparently I wasn't the only one that had noticed this. "Tell me where she is or I swear I will blow you away."

"Henry!" Abby yelped in surprise as she put herself between Henry and Jimmy, coming to stand beside me. She focused her eyes on her friend while I locked my eyes with Sully.

"Get out of the way Jamie," Sully said tensely with his gun raised and pointed at my brother's head.

"No," I said angrily.

"I won't let you do this," my dark haired friend said, looking at Henry.

Sully moved then, trying to have a clear shot. I followed him and ended up slightly to my brother's side, but still in Sully's way. Did he really think I was gonna let him shoot my brother?

"He is working with Wakefield!" The blond boy exploded.

"He is not!" I yelled back in frustration.

Abby was working to convince her best friend from growing up of the same thing. "Henry, put the gun down," the groom didn't seem that inclined to listen to her. "This is what Wakefield wants!" She yelled.

"He killed Trish, Abby, I know it!" He replied distraught.

"He helped kill all of them," Sully added.

"It's Jimmy, you've known him your whole life, think about it!" Abby pleaded.

"Just get out of the way, both of you," the best man said.

I glare at him incensed. "Get something through that thick head of yours, Sully; the only way you're gonna shoot my brother is if you shoot me first," I hissed. His eyes widened a fraction and the gun on his hands shook.

"Really? You're gonna shoot me?" My brother asked with disbelief from behind me. Henry inched closer and Abby held the barrel of the gun.

"Henry, please. You're not a killer either."

We were at an impasse, the tension so thick one could almost touch it. Suddenly I heard someone call for Henry. When I looked towards the origin of the voice I released a breath of relief. It was Trish, alive and kicking. I could've kissed her right then.

Henry seemed relieved also. Sully was looking almost guilty, but the suspicious look returned just as he and my brother eyed each other. I went to Jimmy and hugged him. He whispered, "Thank you," in my ear and we head up towards Trish.

By the time Jimmy and I reached a wet looking Trish, she was smiling as she told everyone, "I found a boathouse. There's a radio."

She led the way and we started on our way to salvation. There was this small beach and sure thing, right at the end of it, there was the blessed boathouse. I was in such a hurry that I almost tripped in the steps. Sully secured me on my feet. I looked at him pissed, but there was something on his eyes that made me feel a little bad. I whispered a short thank you and we finally made our way in.

Once inside, Trish explain that although the radio had power she hadn't been able to reach anyone. I deflated, sliding to the ground. Besides the fear and the pain I was already feeling, a complete desperation started to gnaw at me.

Suddenly, to me at least, the radio sprung to life. Sully handed the mouthpiece to Trish, even though I hadn't seen him pick it up in the first place, and she relayed the situation to the Seattle coast guard, her voice catching a little when she mentioned her dead father. We were safe! Still I felt those damn tears returning as the person on the other side of the line announced they would be here in four hours tops. Everyone was happy and hugging, smiles adorning their faces.

For a split second I forgot about Sully's suspicions and hugged him. He spun me around much like he used to and then he lightly pressed his lips to mine. It felt so right. But reality soon crashed around us and we stepped away from each other rather awkwardly.

The high finally died down and we returned to business.

"Someone should stay with the radio until they get here," Abby said as she surveyed the room.

"I would love to but I really need to go check on Shane. Cal put up with him for enough time already. And I'll let everyone know that help is on the way," I replied with a smile.

"I'll go with you," Sully said eyeing me cautiously. I simply shrugged my shoulders.

"Okay, then Jimmy and I will stay here," she said.

Jimmy smiled at her but Sully, of course, didn't know when to shut up. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"You got something to say?" He said finally snapping.

"Jimmy!" Abby yelled when she saw him get close to Sully in a challenging manner. He backed off, jaw setting and shoulders tense. I hit Sully in the chest, making his eyes snap to me, cathcing my slight glare.

I saw Abby then turned to Henry. "Now that it's safe you should take Trish back to the Candlewick, found her some dry clothes."

"She's right, you're freezing," the groom said in a sweet tone.

"Some dry clothes would be nice, maybe a hot shower," she replied shivering.

"Well, if it's all settled let's move people," I said cheerfully.

Sully and I made our way outside. I took a deep breath. Help was on the way. We were safe. We were going home. But with every one of those thoughts came a feeling of foreboding that made me feel ill at ease.

Something felt…wrong. I didn't know how to explain but I felt like somehow this wasn't over yet. Like I knew there was more to come. I sighed. Maybe I was just being paranoid, or was I?

* * *

So? Did you guys liked it? Tell me your thoughts :)


	20. Revelations

**Disclaimeir: **Sadly this writer has no ownership rights about anything you might recognize from the tv show _Harper's Island _(or else a certain blond boy would've lived to see another day ;) But Jamie is my creation, therefore she's mine.

Hello! I want to thank Jo Harv, Courtney, Shannon012495 and Rebecca; your reviews really make my day. I truly cherish them and I love to hear your thoughts and reactions to my story. So again, THANK YOU :D

To Jo Harv, according to Jamie, Sully has a certain tendency to jump to conclusions, besides he was a little less convinced as in the show. But he'll make it up for it, trust me ;) To Courtney, I'm glad you liked it :D To Shannon012495, I'm glad you enjoyed it :) To Rebecca, well Shane is a very proud man so I don't really see him admitting he needed help :)

So we're getting to the end of this story... Who will live? Who will die? Stick around and let Jamie tell you all...

* * *

**Chapter the Twentieth – **_**Revelations**_

The bad feeling did not leave me as I was walking fast, almost running, it did not leave when I waved Henry and Trish goodbye, as we split at the bluffs, it did not leave me as Sully walked silently beside. If anything the foreboding feeling increased with each step I took towards the station.

"Okay, why are we running?" Sully asked.

Without breaking my stride I answered, "I'm having a bad feeling okay? Like … Like we're still in danger or something. And don't you dare say the only danger was left back in that boathouse or I will throttle you! I swear I will!"

He muttered something under his breath that sounded dangerously like "It has" but since I really wanted to get the terrible weight off my chest I kept my pace and it was still a long way to the station.

* * *

Sometime later I was panting. I had dropped the pretence of walking fast and was running. We were almost at our destination when we heard a noise. I stopped dead in my tracks and so did Sully. He quickly pushed me behind him and raised his gun, pointing at what we believed was the origin of the noise, which was getting louder and louder.

Then four people emerged from the woods. Shea was clutching a frightened Madison while Chloe held an out of breath and clearly in pain Cal. I took the sight in.

Chloe was shaking but she managed to warn us, "He's out…. Wakefield escaped," then she burst into tears.

My heart stopped.

"Where are Danny and Shane?"

"I tried to shot him, but Wakefield…he just…" Cal panted out.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" I yelled in panic.

None of them answered. I knew what that meant and something truly snapped inside of me. I took off running, hearing them cry my name but I didn't stop or turn or even considered what I was about to do. The only thing I could think about was my friends left at the station with that monster.

I tripped and fell a couple of times but finally I made it to the station. My blood turned cold when I spotted Shane's limp body from outside. I hung my head as my hands clenched into fists. I was too late. When I finally made my way in I heard it. It sounded like grunting. I looked inside and saw Wakefield and Danny fighting. The older man had the upper hand and was forcing Danny's head to collide with something on top of one of the deputy's desks.

Without even thinking I launched myself at Wakefield. He struggled with my weight and I spied what he was trying to force Danny's head into: a spiked thing. My friend managed to pull his head away from harm's way, but Wakefield was stronger than both of us and managed to still push Danny against the spike, puncturing his chest.

I cried in anger and the monster finally shook me off of him. I landed hard on my side, grunting in pain. I tried to look for the gun I knew to be in my pocket and froze when I found nothing more than dust. I saw him coming closer and felt the fear take the place of the anger. I had been so stupid and now I was going to die. I would've cried if I didn't know he would probably enjoy it. He picked me up by my throat and threw me against the holding cell door. My head connected with the door with such force I was almost certain he had cracked it open. I was left in a daze, trying desperately to keep standing.

When I opened my eyes I blanched. He was holding his boarding knife. I hadn't even seen it. Another weapon I could've used against him. Why, oh why hadn't I just looked around for a second? But he let it fall to the ground with a clank and instead he got closer to me. "No, that," he said pointing his head back at his boarding knife, "would be too quick. You, I want to feel the life draining out of."

I panicked as he grabbed my neck with both of his hands and squeezed. I raised mine and desperately tried to pry him off of me, but he was too damn strong. The seconds dragged on as my oxygen supply was being cut off. Wakefield was smirking, the glee sickeningly apparent. I was going to die and he was going to enjoy it.

I couldn't stop the tears from falling or the darkness that was beckoning with its seductive call. My movements were slowing down, my body was giving up. I shut my eyes with my last remaining strength. I didn't want the last image I saw in this world to be Wakefield's cold blue eyes. No, instead I tried to invoke, from the depths of my mind, a pair of warmer ones, or maybe a pair of grey ones full of mischief, even some caring and warm brown eyes, anything but those.

Then, as swiftly as it had started, it ended. His hands ceased their attack on my throat, although they didn't let go. I felt his ragged breathing on my neck but my mind was too hazy to understand what was happening. The darkness hadn't faded, it still beckoned. I kept my eyes closed, hoping to answer it, as my body slide to the floor, the monster falling on top of me.

But there was someone calling me, someone that seemed desperate. I tried to open my eyes and focus them, but I was so tired…

I felt the weight being removed and the pressure on my neck completely disappear before I was able to force them open. When I did I saw the pair of blue ones I had invoked earlier, only now they were clouded with worry. "Sully?" I croaked.

He smiled and pulled me to my feet, away from Wakefield. Remembering the monster made the fear return. I looked frantic around, for some gun when I realized Sully was talking to me.

"Shh…It's okay. He's dead. The bastard is dead now, he can't hurt you anymore."

I closed my eyes as he enveloped me in his arms. My body was shaking so bad I was afraid I might be going into shock, so I controlled my breathing, with deep calming breaths, Sully's warmth and strength helping that process.

"Let me see it," I whispered. He tensed. "I have to see it, Sully. I need to know it's really over," it was hard to talk, my throat hurt so much.

Reluctantly, he let go of my body, but kept a strong hold of my hand. When I looked to the ground I saw the monster's body. It was motionless and with a big bloody hole on its back. I hadn't even heard the shots; I had been too far gone. I turned to him and lightly pressed my lips on his. He had saved me.

I breathed in relief until I heard a cough. Then I remember why I had rushed in here and went to Danny's side. Sully helped me to turn him over. My friend was pale but he was still breathing. I heard Sully sigh in relief from behind me.

Then I turned to look at Shane's body. I felt like crying again. But I had to be sure. I touched his hand and it still burned. Then I forced my fingers to look for a pulse. I wasn't expecting to find one, but I felt a flutter.

"He's alive! Sully come help me, he's alive."

He was out cold, there was a fine line of blood in the corner of his mouth, but he was still breathing too. "He needs medical attention."

"Wanna take him to the clinic?"

"No, he needs more than the clinic, he needs a hospital. He probably has an infection, a puncture wound on his shoulder and Wakefield must've knocked him out. I don't think he has a whole lot of time," I said feeling a lump on my throat.

He kept silent for a moment, and then he exclaimed, "The boat!"

"What boat?" I asked confused.

"In the boathouse, there's a small boat, hanging from the ceiling. What if we use that?"

"But it's too small; it can hold all of us," I said, feeling the desperation setting in again.

"It doesn't have to hold all of us, just Danny, Shane and some of the others. Besides the coast guard is on their way," he said confidently. He had a point.

"Okay," I said with a smile that disappeared from my face almost as it had never been there. "How are we gonna take them there?"

* * *

As the boathouse came into view I felt like breaking into a happy dance or maybe drop to the floor and sleep for a week. We decided, back at the station, that Sully would carry Shane whilst I would carry Danny. But although the African-American boy was lighter than the fisherman he was not exactly easy to transport, so the poor thing was being more dragged than carried.

Five more minutes and I had reached the steps of the boathouse. Sully had already dropped a very unconscious Shane near the steps and took them two at the time before disappearing inside the boathouse.

I went to check on my friend. His body was riddled with shakes and his breathing was even more irregular than when they had left. He wouldn't make it. I shook my head vigorously to eclipse these thoughts but they kept haunting me as I gaze into his weathered face.

I jumped and yelled as I felt a hand on my shoulder. My throat was burning from the effort and my heart was hammering on my chest, threatening to escape it. "Jesus Sully, way to startle a girl."

"Sorry. The boat is already down, were taking it to the water."

"You need help?" I asked.

"Nah, but you have to move. And him too," he said pointing to Shane.

Sully, Shea and Chloe put the boat in the water and then I helped carry Danny and Shane into it.

"Where's Abby and Jimmy?" I asked in confusion, only then remembering they were supposed to be here.

"They went to warn Henry and Auntie Trish," Madison said from the top of the stairs.

I looked back at her. She seemed calm and collected now, all traces of the fear gone from her face. "Thanks."

"You're not coming are you?" She asked as she jumped the last two steps into the sand.

"No we don't fit all in that small boat. But don't worry sweetie, the coast guard will be here in," I checked my clock, "less than two hours. But they can't wait; they need to be taken care of right away." Besides I didn't want to leave Jimmy and Abby behind, not matter how safe we were now.

The little girl nodded and went to her mother's side. I watched the three adults and one child board the boat trying to make themselves comfortable around the two wounded men before leaving. But I still had one last message to relay.

"Cal, Shane is barely breathing, his pulse is weak an erratic, his shoulder wound is probably infected and that caused the fever. I don't know what happened; when I found him he was unconscious. Danny has a puncture wound on his left shoulder. He should get a tetanus shot as soon as he gets to shore, they both need."

"Okay. Anything else?" The Englishman asked, taking in all the information.

"Please don't let Shane die?" I asked in a small hoarse voice.

He grimly nodded. I was about to turn and leave, when Chloe hugged me. She caught me by the throat and it hurt more than I would've liked. She whispered a meek, "Thank you," on my ear and let me go. I nodded, rubbing my sore neck and thinking about the nasty bruises that would form in the next hours.

I looked around for Sully and saw him working on the engine. He sighed and then ran towards the boathouse.

"I… I can't leave like this. What about Trish?" I heard Shea say.

"Hey, everything's fine now. Wakefield is dead, he can't hurt anyone else," I said, using the same words Sully had told me back at the station.

"You don't understand, Madison says someone brought her food down there. Someone other than Wakefield!" She shrieked a bit.

I was a little shocked with those news, but I still said, "I promise I'll make sure Trish gets to Seattle safe and sound, Shea. You have my word. Besides right now you need to think about your daughter."

"Okay, now it's good to go. Remember keep heading east." Sully said from behind me, completely missing the scared look that was still haunting Shea's features.

The boat's motor roared to life and off they went. But Shea's words didn't leave my mind. So it seemed Wakefield had an accomplice after all, but who could it be? I mulled over this as we retreated back to the boathouse and waited for the others. I just hoped they wouldn't miss the note we left saying were we were.

Sully grabbed the mouthpiece of the radio and informed the coast guard of the small craft heading their way. After their response he put the mouthpiece back on its place and turned to me. "Does it hurt much?" he asked, pointing at my neck.

I chuckled a little before it was too painful to keep it up and answered quickly, "Like a bitch."

"I'll see if I can find a water bottle in here somewhere," he then started looking around the rather large boathouse. "You know that stunt you pulled back at the station?" He said with feigned nonchalance, I stiffened. I didn't say anything but he didn't seem too bothered with that. "It was the single most stupid thing you've ever did, probably the bravest too, but still, Jamie, you could've died!" He growled, with his back still turned away from me.

I lowered my head in shame. He was right…About the stupid part. I shouldn't have run off; I should've been more careful with the revolver; I should've spotted Danny's shotgun or the damn boarding knife. But at the same time, if I hadn't done that series of stupid things Danny and Shane could've died. I shuddered at the thought.

He handed me a bottle of water, the dust covering it dirtied my hands as I greedily ingested the drink. It hurt, scratching the sore muscles, but at the same time it felt like heaven. I was really thirsty, I mean I actually didn't remember when had been the last time I had something to drink, or eat for that matter. But I didn't think I would be lucky enough to find anything to eat in here, I thought patting my growling stomach.

Sully sat across from me on the floor while I took the single chair. He was smiling so much that I felt kind of bad knowing my next words were probably going to erase that smile right off his face.

"Wakefield had an accomplice. Madison said someone other than Wakefield brought her food while she was down at the tunnels. More proof of that is the fact that he escaped. I mean someone had to help him."

I was right, his beautiful smile disappeared and that serious look he had been sporting on and off since the killings started took its place. "We already suspected that much."

"Yeah, but now, we're sure."

"Jamie…"

"It isn't Jimmy. If you don't trust him, at least trust me. I know him; he would never do anything to hurt me. Besides he didn't even came close to Wakefield in that station, so how could he have helped him escape? Jimmy was here, with Abby."

"He could've given Wakefield a key before."

I scoffed. "Please, that smug bastard didn't count on being arrested."

"Then who helped him?" He asked.

Who indeed? Logic was telling me something I just couldn't begin to believe. If getting captured was never in Wakefield playbook, then he would have no reason to steal the keys to the jail cell in advance. Which meant someone must've slipped him the key **after** he was arrested. The station wasn't left unattended since they got there, and so no other person could've got past us, which meant one of us had to have helped him. That thought made me sick to my stomach. I got up wrestling with these thoughts and looked out the window that was behind me. There wasn't a great lot to see, just a few bushes. Still it helped me gather my thoughts.

I felt Sully come up behind me and embrace me. I took a deep breath and twisted in his arms; yelping as my eyes landed on another person in the room, currently holding a shotgun. "Jesus Henry, you scared me!"

"Sorry. Listen, Trish isn't here, is she?" He sounded so sad it hurt.

"What do you mean? I thought she was with you man!" Sully said, getting back the gun from his best friend.

"I took her to the Candlewick, she took a bath and then we… err… fell asleep. When I woke up the door was wide open and she wasn't anywhere. I searched for her and when I couldn't find her I went to the station and saw **that **and the note and came here. Where's Abby and Jimmy?" He finished looking around.

Me and Sully explained the last events to Henry. He nodded and got even more worried when we told him about Madison's confession.

"But she couldn't see who it was? She couldn't tell, really?"

"I don't think so," I answered and for a second he gazed deep into my eyes with such a look, almost as if he was trying to find something.

"We have to find her; I promised Shea that Trish would get to Seattle safe and sound. I don't like to break my promises," I say looking away.

He smiled and we were getting ready to leave, when a hand on my shoulder stopped me. I turned to look and saw it was Sully.

"I think you should stay. I mean, someone has to stay with the radio, in case the coast guard tries to reach us."

As if on cue the radio sprung to life.

"_This is Sam-one Sector 324, are you there Chris. Over."_

I hadn't heard anyone calling Sully by his first name in so long that it sounded strange in my ears. "Yeah, I'm here with Henry Dunn and Jamie Mance," he answered.

"_Coast guard chopper should be there in 45. Over."_

"Okay… 45, we got it."

"_Roger that Chris. The chopper will set down at the marina. Can you and your friends get there? Over."_

Sully looked at Henry, then me. I nodded.

"The marina, yeah, you got it."

"_Hang in there, Chris. We're on our way. Over."_

"Thanks man."

"Guess I don't have to stay," I said smiling at Sully.

"What about Abner and your brother?"

I thought for a moment, deflating, "You're right." I didn't want to stay in here alone as much as I didn't want to be apart from him. And then that nagging doubt returned. I shook my head. "Go look for Trish; I'll wait for them here. Once you find her, if you don't have the time, go to the marina and then tell them where we are. Okay?" With that I let them leave, giving Sully a sweet short kiss. He grinned at me and left with his friend.

I stood there by the door, watching them leave, and tried to erase the damn conclusions that insisted on infiltrate my mind. I returned quickly to the chair and sat quite heavily on it. I hung my head, feeling a migraine coming. That's when I spotted something on the floor, by the door. I got up and picked it up. It was a slug, ammunition for a shotgun. Immediately my previous thoughts merged with this knowledge and a terrible hypothesis formed.

But it couldn't be, right? Still I decided to go after Henry and Sully, just in case. I had no idea which way they had gone but I followed the beach until the bluffs. There heard a faint shout of Trish and as silently as I could, I followed it. This time I would be careful, after all I didn't have a weapon on me.

It took me some time. I freaked out a bit when the shouting ceased, knowing I wouldn't have a way to follow them. I could already feel the panic and fear building when it started again, to the north of me and I resumed my walk, my heart beating madly in my chest and my head pounding. A couple of times I actually missed a step and ended up face first in the ground. I quickly recovered though and soon I could see the outlines of both guys. But there was something off, something wrong. The panic set heavily in.

They were standing in the middle of a dirt pathway, facing each other. They were talking, although I was too far to hear what was being said. But they were tense, far too tense to be just a casual conversation. That's when Sully turned his gun on Henry. I froze in fear. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't. If I was right, his shotgun was unloaded and he was in danger. I wanted to shout a warning, but that wouldn't help anyone, least of all me.

I got closer, having to crawl to avoid being seen. Henry raised his hand and showed something to Sully. I could see the blond boy pale even from where I was hiding then Henry all but pounced on Sully.

Sully fought back, getting away from Henry as much as he could, the disbelief plain on his face even after that. I felt a pang in my heart. I was right, I didn't want to be, but I was. Henry was the accomplice. Sully was using the shotgun as a bat now as Henry lazily took a clasp knife from his pocket. The dark haired boy said something and Sully all but shouted, "You leave Jamie out of this you… you psycho!"

I was close enough now so I could hear Henry's cold retort. "She has to go, man. Now, the amount of pain she goes through before that is entirely up to you," I took a sharp intake of air at his words. "If you stop fighting I can guarantee you she won't suffer… much."

Sully only stared. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling right now. Why? Why was Henry doing this? Then the dark haired boy moved and I froze. It was like I was seeing the scene in slow motion. Sully's eyes strayed away from his attacker for just one second and Henry grabbed the barrel of the gun, pulling it away from Sully's hands and then stabbed him.

I clamped my teeth on my bottom lip to stop the scream that threaten to tore out of me, the tears flooding my eyes and making it hard to see. Sully fell to his knees, clutching Henry's arm with one hand and his injured middle with the other, the pain written all over his face. _NOOOO_, my mind screamed as Sully fell completely to the forest ground like a dead weight. I had to help him, I had to go there, but Henry hadn't moved yet. A terrible sense of helplessness washed over me as my body shook in paroxysms of terror.

After what felt like hours, but were probably only seconds, Henry finally moved pocketing his clasp knife as he went, turning his back on his best friend.

I waited until I could no longer hear the sounds of footsteps, then I sprinted to Sully's side. His eyes were firmly shut and his whole face was contorted in pain. My tears hadn't stopped falling and it hurt to breath. Oh God it hurt so much. "No… Don't you dare leave me, you hear me? You can't. I… I love you so much. You promised me, damn it… You promised you wouldn't leave me!" I whispered fervently as I let our foreheads touch for a few moments, wanting more than anything to see his blue eyes again, those blue eyes that caught my attention the very first time I saw him.

I took a deep breath and fought to push the despair down. With trembling hands I started to look for a pulse. I found it, weak and erratic, but definitely a pulse. My relief lasted only until my eyes fell onto his wound. It was on his side, and it wasn't wide but was bleeding badly.

My priority was to fully assess the injury; this kind of wound needed immediate assistance. I then had to warn Abby and Jimmy. And I still had to find Trish. A thought then occurred to me, she could be dead already. Again I wondered why did Henry was doing this. I sighed; I thought the death of Wakefield would be the end. Guess I was wrong, this was far from over.

* * *

So what do you think guys? Give me your thoughts, please :D Will you? (insert puppy eyes here)


	21. Betrayal

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately I don't own anything you might recognize (characters and settings) from the tv show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance and my own tweaks of the story we all know and love :)

Hi guys! I want to thank Shannon012495, Rebecca, bogvampire, LaPush'sSheWolf, Courtney and Jo Harv. You guys absolutely rock and your reviews put me in an excelent mood :D

To Shannon012495, I'm glad you liked it :) To Rebecca, I'm glad you liked it. I love to hear your reactions to my story. About Sully, all I can say is... read on ;) To bogvampire, please don't scare me like that again! That's great, I love to hear the effect this story has on you guys :) To LaPush'sSheWolf, if you're addicted, here's another fix then :) To Courtney, I sincerely hope to live up to those expectations, and don't worry, I still have plenty of ideas for our beloved characters after this story ends :D To Jo Harv, I understand what you mean and you're right. But now we have to wait and see what he will do :)

And this is almost the end :( I think after this one there will be one more chapter and that's it. This chapter has two 'special appearances', Henry and Jimmy, I hope you like to hear from the boys. But for tonight, here's a brand spanking new chapter...

**

* * *

****Chapter the Twenty-First – Betrayal**

I lost track of time. I managed to control the bleeding just enough to move Sully. I mean, we had to get as far away from this place as we could. I thought about taking him to the marina and wait for the coast guard there. But I soon realized he wasn't going to make it, so I racked my brain trying to think of a place where we could be safe. Because I was sure Henry wouldn't take too long to realize something was off. Then he would search for us and I had to make sure he wouldn't find us. That's how we ended here, in Kelly's old house, the one she moved out of as soon as she could after her mother's death.

This house brought me so many happy memories, even if they were now marred with sadness.

I broke in through the back door, away from the dirt path, where he wouldn't be able to see it, if he came looking for us here. Running towards the tree I had left Sully under I then took him inside. The last thing I did was try to cover our tracks. Shane and Jimmy had taught me how to look for one and also how to conceal it. So maybe I was being a little paranoid, it didn't matter to me, I wouldn't be taking any chances right now.

I took him to Kelly's old room, the one furthest from both doors, and put him on top of the bed. I cleaned my hands the best I could as I prepared to try and grope the depth of penetration of the wound and if the knife had hit any organ. Of course this was extremely difficult to do without a full surgery, something I couldn't possibly perform in here, but I would try my best. I graduated top of my class in Stanford, that had to count for something, right? Sully hissed in pain and mumbled something under his breath I didn't catch. Under the circumstances I took his response as a good sign, it meant he wasn't too far gone. Still, it pained me to see him like this.

He was pale and sweaty, slightly shivering and although the blood loss had reduced slightly, I knew he wouldn't hold up very long if I didn't stop it completely. And even if I managed that, he still needed immediate care. The tears welled up in my eyes and I started pacing, thinking about what my next step should be. Restlessness wasn't going to help me; it would only serve to fuel my anxiety which would lead to desperation. I took a deep breath and turned back to him, an idea already forming.

I set to find all I would need to help him, battling the pros and cons of such a procedure. I found an old knife and cleaned it; I turned on the stove, thanking god it was still working and finally let the knife came in contact with the flame. I searched the house for painkillers or alcohol, anything to help numb the pain, but found nothing, so I went to his side to prepare him. I had never done this before, but I couldn't think of another way, and I would **not** let him bleed to death.

I caressed his face and whispered, "I'm sorry, this will hurt…a lot, but I have to. You will die if I don't help you, and you can't die, I…" I got out before the tears clogged my throat and I couldn't speak anymore.

"J-Jamie… I love you…" he murmured.

I smiled through the tears. I kissed his lips softly and then went to retrieve the knife from the fire, before it became too hot. I pried Sully's lips open and put the belt in between his teeth, I then proceeded to cauterize the wound.

The whole thing was over in no more than a minute, but like I anticipated his reaction was violent. His eyes snapped open; he bit down hard on the belt and started to struggle, grunting like crazy. I had to use my entire body to keep him still and even so there was a moment when I almost burned myself. He soon passed out from the pain and I breathed a sigh of relief. I inspected the wound. It was blissfully closed and the healthy tissue around it wasn't burnt, which meant I hadn't overdone it. I just hoped he hadn't any internal bleeding or all of this would have been for nothing.

I bandaged the wound with some old sheets and then grabbed a few blankets to keep him warm, since I couldn't light the fireplace. Now all I had to do was run towards the marina and hopefully find help before Henry found me. I looked down at Sully and kissed him on the lips one last time before leaving with a heavy heart.

* * *

I didn't think I've ever ran as fast in my life. The adrenaline was pumping in my system, the fear and anger and pain only fueling my determination to get to the damn marina. I was close; I could already smell the sea breeze mixed with the burnt remains of the boats. That's when I heard his voice.

"Don't tell me you're planning to bail on me, Jamie," he said, repeating the same words he had told me a few days ago in my Candlewick bedroom.

I froze but turned quickly, his words to Sully still ringing in my ears, '_She has to go, man'_. Henry stood on top of a small hill. On his hands glittered Wakefield's boarding knife. I gulped.

There were so many questions swirling in my head, but the only thing that left my lips was a chocked "Why?" as I tried to edge away from him. He noticed my movement and smiled once again. Only this wasn't one of his normal warm smiles, this was a cold one. I couldn't help but to think back to the first time I met him, the first time he smiled at me…

_I was running along the beach. It was a perfect summer day for me, not too hot and with a constant refreshing breeze. I saw Jimmy and Shane near the water and ran to them. Just before I could get there a soccer ball hit me in the legs and sent me sprawling to the sand._

_I yelled and both boys turned to me. Jimmy was by my side in an instant while Shane picked up the ball. Two figures came running towards us. I recognized Abby Mills immediately._

"_Jamie are you okay?" Abby asked concerned. Jimmy helped me to my feet. There was a sting in my lip and my knees and hand hurt, but I nodded nonetheless. _

"_Who threw the ball?" Shane asked instead._

_The boy I didn't recognize spoke then. "It was me," he smiled at me apologetically, "Sorry."_

"_Dunn, you hurt her, you really think a simple sorry is gonna cut it?" Shane said menacingly advancing towards the boy._

"_It's just my lip Shane, no big deal," I lied. It was hurting, but I didn't want them to think I was weak. I was 8 after all, I was a big girl._

"_But y__ou're bleeding Shorty," he said, softening his tone with me and glaring at the boy._

"_Stop calling me that!" I said exasperated. I turned to the boy and stuck my hand out. "I'm __**Jamie**__," I said looking at the boy stressing my name; the last thing I needed was another person calling me by that infuriating nickname. He took my hand and smiled again._

"_I'm Henry, nice to meet you Jamie."_

I could remember many other occasions when I saw him smile and I couldn't help but wonder: what made that sweet boy turn into this cold man? What could make him kill friends and family? And what about Trish?

"Why don't we play a game? You tell me where you stashed Sully and I tell you why?"

"I'm sick of your games!" I shouted at him. What the hell was wrong with him? I took a full step towards the marina and he dropped the smile, a hard look taking its place.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said in a cold voice.

I snorted, my anger rising to gigantic proportions. "And why the hell not? You want to kill me? That's fine by me, just don't expect me to lay down and accept it, you bastard!"

"If you do that, I'll kill Jimmy."

My heart stopped. My eyes widened and all my anger was replaced with fear; the kind of fear that grips you so tight in its claws that stops every movement and thought. He smirked and approached and just like that I lost the only advantage I had: the distance separating us.

He raised his hand to me, as if he was going to caress my cheek; instead he grabbed a fist full of my light brown hair and pulled my head near him. I yelped and tried to pry his fingers open.

"Where is he, Jamie? Is he even alive?" He growled in my ear.

I turned to him, with what I hoped was a fierce look and hissed, "Go to hell!"

He looked in my eyes for a long moment, and then sighed, as if he was suddenly tired. "I see, so you saved him. You must be a better doctor than I gave you credit for. Too bad such a talent will go to waste."

"What are you talking about?" I asked panicked.

"Your eyes don't lie. They gave you away. Now, be a good girl and tell me: where is he?"

I pretended to think for a little while then answered through gritted teeth, "Go. To. Hel-" Before I could finish Henry threw me, face first into a tree. I tasted blood in my mouth and then blacked out.

_Henry's Interlude_

Henry looked down at the unconscious girl with contempt. He shook his head as he picked her off the floor and started carrying her. She was a thorn on his side as it was, the last thing he needed was to have someone from the coast guard stumbling upon them. Killing someone and concealing its body took time, and he was late already.

He had known something was wrong when he found Abby and Jimmy coming from the boathouse without Jamie. Tricking them into following him to the church had been difficult, what with Jimmy already suspecting something, but he did it. With those two taken care of he went in search of Jamie. He had a feeling she might try and find Sully, so he went to the place he had killed him, only to find nothing but bloodied dirt. He cursed under his breath and took off towards the marina, guessing she would try to find the Coast Guard's chopper.

He shook his head, as if to shake the thoughts of his failure, and looked at the girl in his arms sighing. He had invited her as just another one of his experiences, the opportunity had presented itself and he felt it was much too good to pass up. If only he had known…

It was fluke, or maybe Chloe had been right all along, Jamie had a stupid hero complex and that had unwittingly messed up his plan. How he wished he could just kill her and be done with. But no, she had to go and save Sully, and now he had to take her with him. He grunted as he dropped her to the floor not that gently.

But as he handcuffed her, a smile made its way across his face. If he was lucky, he would find Sully easily, thus tying the last loose end and then he would take a great pleasure in killing Jamie Mance.

With that comforting thought Henry Dunn went to work. After all, he still had a church to burn.

_End of Henry's Interlude_

The soft surface below me moved. I scrunched my face and it hurt. I tried to think through the haze of pain, still with my eyes closed. By the movement I gauged I was on a vehicle, a car or something. I opened my eyes to face the back of two seats. I then tried to sit up, when I realized my arms were bound behind my back. Where were we going? And what about Jimmy and Abby? He had implied he had, at least Jimmy, was he lying? Was my brother already dead? I felt the panic rise with each question that my muddled mind threw at me.

I took a deep slow breath. Panicking wasn't going to help me out of this situation. I needed to keep my wits about me. I continued my slow breathing, allowing the pain and confusion to recede to their minimal levels.

The car stopped and I closed my eyes immediately, better for him to think I was still out cold; it would give me a small advantage. I heard a door open and close. A few seconds passed and the same two sounds occurred, but this time with a greater time passing in between, as if he had taken something out of the car. When I was sure the steps were gone I tried to sit up, using my legs this time. It took me a while, but I did it.

I looked around searching for a way out. As far as I could see we were in the woods, which didn't help me that much considering the abundance of woods on this island. I then focused on the inside of the car and myself. I twisted my body to try and see what Henry had bound me with. When that didn't work I tried to use the rear-view mirror. I caught the silver shine of a pair of handcuffs and cursed. Why couldn't it have been rope?

I looked out the window again. Suddenly Henry appeared. I scooted away as best as I could from the window, but he made no move to open the door. He stepped out of my line of vision with a smirk on his face. I saw him open the trunk of the car; he took something out and then closed it.

It was only when he was already well away from the vehicle that I noticed what he had taken out of the car and blanched. It was my brother and I couldn't help the scream that tore out of me at the sight of Henry dragging Jimmy off to somewhere. He had him, just like he implied back in the forest, the only thing I didn't understand was why. Don't get me wrong, I was glad my brother was alive but why not kill Jimmy right away? I knew why Henry had taken me; he needed to know where Sully was, so he could finish the job. I felt the tears prickle my eyes as my thoughts drifted to Sully. But I took another deep breath and calmed myself as I mulled over what Henry's motives could be.

The door behind me swung open so suddenly I jumped in surprise. I expected a similar treatment as the one I received back in the forest, but instead he grabbed my arm, although roughly, pulling me out of the car.

"Where are we? What did you do to Jimmy? Where are you taking me?" He squeezed my arm again enough to leave as mark and making the circulation difficult. I winced and tried to shake him off, to no avail.

"Tsk, tsk, so many questions… My offer still stands you know? Tell me where he is and I answer all you questions," he said almost absentmindedly, as he dragged me off to somewhere.

I snorted, "That would be before or after you killed him?" I wasn't really expecting a response, but he gave me one nonetheless.

"Before."

I shuddered with revulsion. His tone never changed; never wavered. It was if he felt nothing, as if we were casually talking about the damn weather. It made me angry.

"You are a real bastard. How many did you kill? Friends and family mean nothing to you?" I shouted in his grasp.

"All they ever did was lie and betray me," he said in the same unaffected voice, dragging me along.

"Who lied? Who betrayed you? JD? Trish? Abby?"

I knew I hit a nerve when he turned me sharply towards him, eyes blazing; it was the first show of emotion I had seen after he let his mask fall. Did that mean Abby was still alive? I thought puzzled.

"I would never hurt Abby," he growled.

"You worked with the man that killed both her parents, you killed her friends, you help that monster terrorize her for almost a week, and you really think you haven't hurt her already?" He was delusional if he believed in that.

His hands on my arms squeezed again, making me wince. He looked so angry I felt the fear creep back into my bones. "You talk too much, Jamie. Has anyone told you that?"

"It's hard to hear the truth, isn't Henry?" I sneered, not wanting him to know just how much freaked out I was.

He backhanded me, choosing to let go of me at the moment of impact so I went flying to the ground. "See what you make me do? All you had to do was tell me where Sully is; instead you choose to piss me off. What is wrong with you?" He shouted.

I rolled where I had landed so I could see his face. "With me? You're the one that killed, that betrayed, that lied. You're a monster Henry, just like Wakefield," I spat.

On that moment, watching him tower over me, a dark look on his face, something came back to me. Karena's words, from the bachelorette party…

_"Be careful! Be very careful… I see danger… betrayal… and you'll need to be brave. My poor child you'll need to be so brave…"_

So she was right… Who would've thought? His dark laugh and his next words broke me from that reverie.

"What can I say? Like father like son."

My eyes bulged at the revelation. "You're…You're Wakefield's child?" Then another one hit me and I breathed, "You're Abby's brother?"

"Half-brother!" He shouted again, before kicking me in the gut. Better be a foot than his knife but it still hurt like hell. I laid in the fetal position trying to recover my breath. The only things that seemed to affect Henry had to do with Abby. In my head I analyzed his attitude towards my friend with new eyes and I finally understood something: Henry must love Abby.

"You love her. She's your sister, you know that and you still love her? You're sick Henry," I whispered.

He heard and for that I got another kick. I thought I heard something break, but couldn't be sure. All I could seem to focus was the ever growing pain. He kneeled down beside me, grabbing by my hair again and whispering, "You will have to learn to control that tongue of yours, or I swear I'll cut it out. Now, where is Sully?" He growled, anger coloring his words.

My by now trademark response was fired immediately and Henry tensed. He pulled me to my feet and this time he punched me. That's when the anger blinded me and I started to fight back. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest move on my part but I was sick of being that bastard's punching bag. Kicking and biting every part of him I could reach, occasionally using my body as leverage, I attacked Henry. Of course it didn't take long for him to have the upper hand. He wasn't hurt, or tired, or hungry, like I was.

I was out of breath and full of pain and already down on the gorund. I rolled over to try and spot Henry, but the darkness was closing in on my vision. The last image that my mind held was of Henry towering over and retrieving his clasp knife from his pocket.

_Jimmy's Interlude_

Jimmy was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally. Who would've thought a wedding would end in such disaster? Better yet, who would've known Henry Dunn of all people was the one conspiring with the murderer? He sure as hell wouldn't, he saw in Abby's eyes that she didn't either, hell, Jimmy doubted even Shane, for all the big guy's hostility towards the summer kids, would've imagined something so macabre of Henry.

His arms and legs ache from the long time he has passed in the same position, although he can't really say how long it has been. He doesn't know where he is or even why Henry hasn't killed him yet. The only thought that occupied Jimmy's mind at that moment was the bastard's words.

Henry killed Jamie. The bastard taunted Jimmy with the knife he had used to, in the bastard's own words, "Gut your little sister." The fisherman had screamed his rage and sorrow through the gag; he had squirmed like crazy, trying to get free so he could kill the man that stood before him. Not caring that he was probably rubbing his wrists raw or he could dislocate a shoulder. All the while said man, the bastard, just stood there, smirking, as if bathing in the pain he had caused. Jimmy had been so distraught he didn't dare ask about Abby, he was sure he wouldn't be able to hear she was dead too.

Jimmy was left alone a little while after. He hung his head and couldn't help but feel her death was his fault. He was her big brother; he should've protected her that was his duty. He sniffed. Jimmy remembered with vivid clarity the first time he had been informed of his big brother's duty…

_Jimmy was 5. His family was having fun at the beach. He was building a sandcastle, and was determined to make it the biggest sandcastle anyone had ever made. The only potential obstacle was his almost 4 years-old sister. _

_He eyed the girl in question, happily babbling to their mother back where they had left their things. Satisfied he wasn't going to be interrupted, the boy started. He was maybe half way into it when he saw her coming towards him._

_The little boy panicked. She would ruin everything! Running nearer to the water, he dug a hole, one deep enough for the younger girl and when she was just upon his castle he dragged her to the hole, sitting her inside. _

_Jamie scrunched her face, as if to start crying, but Jimmy shushed her with a hug and a kiss to her little forehead. He had discovered a few weeks ago that he could calm her down with that, and had used that technique many times since then._

_Happy __that__ tragedy had been avoided the boy returned to his castle. That's when a shrill cry echoed around the beach. His eyes fell upon his sister form and Jimmy saw his mom and dad run to the young girl's side. _

_More than a little worried Jimmy walked towards his family, now gathered around Jamie. She quieted down some when their mother scooped her up and started to rub her little back, but he could still see the fat tears cascading down her reddened face. _

_Their mom asked what had happened. When Jamie finished telling the story, their mother threw him a scolding look while his father dropped to his knees, so that he was leveled with Jimmy and looked him straight in the eye. "You have to be more careful with your sister, Jimmy. You're her big brother, you can't hurt her and you can't let anyone hurt her. When mommy and I can't do it, you have to protect her. That's you duty as the older brother. You understand me?"_

_Jimmy nodded and mulled his dad's words, vowing then and there never to fail Jamie again. _

But he had failed, hadn't he? She was dead. Feeling as if a part of him had died, Jimmy allowed the tears that had accumulated steadily on his eyes fall. The darkness soon invaded the shed where he was, but he barely noticed. After all, the darkness that now resided on his chest was much greater than the one that surrounded him.

_End of Jimmy's Interlude_

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So, what do you think? The little review button at the end would rejoiced if you cliked it. Okay, okay, I would rejoice if you review ;)

Lilacc :)


	22. The End?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything (characters and settings) you might recognize from the TV Show _Harper's Island_. I do own, however, Jamie Mance.

I want to thank Rebecca, Courtney, RWolfe94, Shannon012495 and bogvampire21, your reviews higly inspired me and kept me going, you rock :D

I want to apologize for the delay, but I wanted to make this last chapter of the story a good one. It is the last and the biggest yet. Don't forget to read the note at the end :)

Now, welcome to the last chapter fo Harper's Island: Lillte Sister Intervention! I hope you enjoy it :)

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****Chapter the Twenty-Second – The End?**

The road was bumpy, I thought as I tried to find a more comfortable position. My eyes snapped open. Why was I in a car and why the hell was this dark? I thought as the panic settled in again, like a well known and very unpleasant sensation. When another bump in the road caused my head to painfully connect with the ceiling I understood two things. A) I wasn't dead (this was way too painful to be heaven) and b) I was in the trunk of a car.

I tried to move my arms but they were still bounded plus every movement, mine or the car's, hurt. He hadn't killed me, like I was almost sure he would. I didn't know whether this was a good or a bad thing. I mean I was happy I was still breathing, but at the same time I didn't thought he would leave me peacefully locked somewhere. I was sure he would try to force me to talk. I felt the tears in my eyes and didn't try to stop them.

I cried myself to sleep, or maybe fell unconscious with the pain, either way, the next time I woke up I was no longer moving. I opened my eyes and was greeted by a blinding light. I closed them immediately and it took me a lot of blinking to be able to keep them open. I looked around the room. It seemed to be storage of some sort. There were several pieces of furniture covered with sheets and boxes. I was laying face down in an old ratty couch with my hands bound behind my back.

I still hurt all over but if I lay completely still I could control the pain, a bit at least. I heard the door open and held my breath. Surprisingly the hands that grabbed me were gentle. I opened my eyes after closing them unconsciously. Henry seemed calmer and I dared say gentle, in the way he handled me.

He took the handcuffs off, letting my arms return to their normal position. They were sore like hell but it felt kind of good to be able to look at my hands and use my arms again. As soon as I could, I backed away from him, never leaving the couch though; I didn't trust my legs to be able to carry my weight just yet. I felt waves of pain engulfing my body, but kept my eyes on Henry the whole time. I could still see him pouncing on a distracted Sully, probably always would. So I didn't stray my eyes from him. He simply smiled and got up.

When he did, I noticed for the first time the tray he had brought in with him. It had what seemed like a very yummy breakfast. There was also some Tylenol and a bottle of water. I must've made a funny face, because Henry laughed.

"I thought you might be hungry and in a little bit of pain. And we can't have that. After all, we have a lot to talk about," he finished by dragging a chair near the couch and sitting.

I didn't move. He sighed.

"The food is not poisoned, nor is the water. And the pills are really Tylenol."

"Why should I trust you? Why are you being so nice all of a sudden? Had a change of heart? Do you even have a heart?" I asked getting increasingly bitter.

Henry ignored me and sighed again, taking a large bite of the pancakes, drinking a large gulp of the orange juice and then the water, even going as far as popping one of the pills. His behavior baffled me beyond words. Was this another game?

"It's not a game, Jamie."

I really had to work on that whole voicing my thoughts unconsciously thing. "Then why are you doing this?"

He didn't answer, simply smiled. Instead of wasting my energies in trying to understand Henry's motives I decided to dig in. He hadn't dropped dead yet, so I guess I would be safe. I was completely famished and ate the whole plate of pancakes in less than five minutes, downing it with the juice. After, I took two pills and drank a large gulp of water. I felt sated, and the pain soon started to fade. Not disappearing completely, but getting pretty numb.

"You're good?"

I didn't answer, he didn't seem to mind. He got up and went to one of the windows. I eyed the door and he spoke, "The door is locked, in case you're wondering. So are all the windows in here."

I kept silent, watching him. A couple of minutes later he returned to the chair, pulling it closer to my place in the couch. He was driving me nuts, which could very well be his purpose.

"No questions today?"

"I thought I could only get answers when you found Sully?" I fired.

He smirked in a way that brought out the similarities with Wakefield. I shuddered. "Maybe I already found him."

I felt all the blood drain from my face and the bile rise in my throat when logic kicked in. "No…" I said shaking my head. "You didn't found him yet."

"What makes you say that?" He asked seemingly interested.

"You don't care enough for me to be playing mind games. If you had already found Sully I would be dead," I asserted.

Henry was silent for a moment before he curtly nodded. I was right. Still, I felt a shiver of fear when his eyes kept probing mine. I was starting to think I preferred the other aggressive and cold Henry, this was one was…

"What day is it?" I asked, breaking the unnerving eye contact.

"Tuesday," he answered shortly.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking out the window and catching a grand expanse of water. In another occasion I might call the view beautiful. But in the current situation and with the current company, even that seemed like hell.

"We're on the other side of the island miles away from any kind of help," was everything he said a damn warning?

I sighed. "Where's Abby?

Something in his eyes changed subtly. "She's asleep upstairs."

In opened my mouth to yell, but he cut me off with his next words.

"She won't hear you," he said matter-of-factly.

I yelled and shouted until my mouth was too dry to keep it up. I waited for a sound from upstairs; anything that indicated she had woke up. But just like he said, my sole response was silence, only broken by my panting.

I frowned. Abby wasn't a heavy sleeper. Back home she had the most inner bedroom and she still complained about the street sounds. Plus, in a situation like this, she would never sleep so much. Unless…

"Did you hit her head?" His eyes flashed in anger. "Did she hit her head? She could have a concussion, Henry. It's very serious. You need to wake her up. Let me see her," I said already getting up. He simply pushed me back down on the couch.

"She doesn't have a concussion," he said in a clipped tone.

"I'm the doctor, not you. If Abby hit her head and passed out and stayed out she could have a concussion. We need to wake her up. If you care for her…" I didn't finish because he backhanded me.

"You have no idea how much I care for her. And if I say she doesn't have a concussion I know what I'm talking about. She needed to rest... and I helped her."

Realization dawned on me and I sent him a scolding look. "You mean you drugged her? You're a real bastard, you know that? And you dare say you love her. How can you say something like that after everything you did to her?"

Questioning his love for Abby proved to be a very bad move. He hit me again and this time, he kept hitting me. By the time his little access of rage ended, I was out of breath and in pain again.

"I try Jamie. I really do. Why do you have to make this so difficult? Why do you have to be so goddamn antagonistic?"

I spit a mouthful of blood before I managed to drag myself back to the couch. I said nothing, mainly because of the pain, but also because I was speechless, I mean, he was calling **me** antagonistic? But he seemed unfazed by my silence and continued with his rant.

"I mean, you're always pissing me off. I feed you, give you pain medicine and it's still not enough! I thought we could have a nice conversation, maybe I could make you see that it was no use to hold on to Sully's location. He's going to die, one way or the other."

I mustered all of my energy and rasped out, "I hate you."

Henry simply laughed. "Hate me all you want, Jamie. It won't change a thing. Both of you are gonna die. How long do you think he has? Think about it. He's somewhere alone and with a hole on his stomach, losing blood. If he's lucky he'll pass out from the pain. Are you really that cruel to prefer him to die slowly and alone like that?"

It was my turn to laugh. Except my laugh lacked any mirth and was instead of pure disbelief. Did he really think there was anything he could **say** that would make me give up Sully's location?

"Really Henry, that's the best you've got?" I shook my head as I saw that angry look take over his brown eyes again. "Besides, I took care of his bleeding. Someone is bound to find him, threat him and hopefully, he'll wake up and he'll tell the truth to everyone," I gloated.

He shook his head and went to the door, as if he heard something I didn't. He was back in no time, seeming to be a lot calmer and in control. "You know, he's really the one to blame you're here," he said casually, changing the position of the chair, so he was sitting on it backwards and crossing his arms over the backrest. The casual position was so much like what Sully used to do that my heart ached.

At the same time his words befuddled me. "Yeah… If it wasn't for him I would probably be already dead," I replied, thinking I didn't quite get where he was getting at.

Henry shook his head. "That's not what I meant. What I did mean was that I wasn't going to invite you in the first place. You were right, you don't matter to me. Trish was never close to you so I was never meant to invite you. **He** asked me to. So you see if it wasn't for Sully, you wouldn't be here in the first place. You would be safe from harm, back home. He's the reason you're gonna die, Jamie. He's caused you so much pain in the past and now he's getting you killed. So why keep this up? Why do you keep protecting him?"

I laughed. I actually laughed out loud at him. His attempts were so pathetic it almost hurt to see him grasping at straws like this.

"Don't make me hurt you," he said in a tense voice.

I scoffed, "A little too late for that, don't you think?"

Henry shook his head, almost as if he was really sorry, which I didn't believe for a second. My college roommate was majoring in psychiatry and I happen to have read a couple of her books so I would say he was a sociopath, he was actually incapable of feeling empathy with others. The best he could give was a faint echo of an emotion, a freaking act.

He took out the clasp knife and got up from the chair and advanced towards me. I gulped and tried to run, but he was faster. He ripped Sully's coat off of me.

"What are you doing? Henry? NO!" I screamed.

* * *

Henry finally left. It was dark outside now. I guess even torturers had to sleep. I didn't try to move, seeing as how even the slight movements of my diaphragm hurt like hell. Every breath I took in burned; I could still feel every punch and kick; and my perspiration stung the fresh cuts on my skin.

I had lost count after the tenth cut. Most of them were shallow, made not to bleed too much, but they still hurt. Some of them were worse, deeper, mainly when I told him to shove it or several variations of that. Even when my throat burn too much from the screams, I never gave him anything other than my sarcastic answers.

Antagonist Henry had called me, I would say brave, I could bet Shane would say idiot. I smiled through the pain. The thoughts of my loved ones were the only things keeping me whole right now. Every time my body betrayed me my mind flooded with the knowledge that this information was the only thing keeping me alive. If I were to give up the information Henry seek, I would die, worse, Sully would die. And that I simply couldn't let happen.

I managed to drag myself to the couch and was out like a light, mainly because I passed out from the pain and exhaustion. The only problem was even in the safety of my dreams he haunted me. Flashes of the hell he put me through combine with images of death and gore were enough to wake me, then the pain made me return there and start the hell cycle all over again.

This happen a couple of times and then he was there again. I cried out in despair.

"You know how to end this Jamie."

There we go again.

"Go to hell, Henry," I rasped out.

The pain of the slap barely registered in my mind.

"Tell me again why are you doing this? For Sully? Really? You are willing to give your life for a guy who can't see past his own belly button? And here I was, thinking you were actually smart."

So he would start with the taunting now, hitting later. Oh joy, I thought sarcastically.

"You can taunt me until you're blue in the face, it ain't gonna change my mind. And if you think Sully is like that, you really don't know him," I said, trying to get away from him and failing miserably.

He laughed. "I'm the one that doesn't know Sully? I'm his best friend, remember?"

My anger flared at that. "You're no one's best friend. I don't think you even have the ability to be so."

For that I got a punch in the gut. I had to grit my teeth not to cry out. I was trying to save my throat for a little while longer.

"What did I tell you about talk back, Jamie?" He returned to his chair and kept watching me, like before. It made me nervous, made me think he was just imagining new ways to torture me. As if hitting and cutting wasn't bad enough.

"Really, I would love to understand what makes you take all of this. He's not worth it, Jamie," he said, he sounded so real but his eyes, those once warm brown eyes, were now empty.

"Screw you."

"He didn't change. He's still that same player you met, he still sleeps around and he still thinks more of himself than others. What do you think it would happen if you get out of here? You think he would change, and become your prince charming?"

Henry's words stung. No matter how much I reasoned with myself that he was just playing me, they still hit closer to home than I would've liked. He was playing with my fears masterfully.

"Sully never loved you. He doesn't know what love is. If he did, he would've fought for you, not return to his apartment and sleep with that girl."

My eyes became huge as saucers. The pain of that simple statement was cutting anew, burning more deeply my heart than Henry ever hurt my body.

"Yeah, that's right. He slept with her; he slept with many others after you. He didn't have his heart broken, he didn't cry himself to sleep, he didn't drown in guilt… Sully doesn't do relationships. Love and fidelity are two words he doesn't know the meaning of. That's his nature and that's never going to change, no matter how much you wish for it."

"Shut up. Shut up. SHUT THE HELL UP! Get something through that thick head of yours, nothing you say or do to me will make me tell you where Sully is. Okay? Nothing, Henry. So you might as well put that freaking knife to use, you bastard!"

The pain returned in full force, the effort to snap at Henry just enough to completely engulf me. I tightly closed my eyes, half expecting him to do as I had said, but he didn't. I heard the faint sound of steps walking away, then silence, and I was finally left alone with my thoughts.

* * *

I was haunted in my dreams once again. This time my mind conjured something far crueler than before. This time I saw death, not my own, but that of the people I loved. One by one I saw them die. I knew it was a nightmare, yet I couldn't bring myself to wake up. All I could do was bawl eyes out while trying to block their screams.

When I finally woke up, my heart was beating furiously within my chest, threatening to burst; I was breathing heavily, fighting hard to control it as the tears kept on sliding down my cheeks. As the seconds trickled by, I started feeling really uncomfortable. There was no position for me to be in, it hurt everywhere! If it wasn't a bruise, it was a cut.

I was starting to relax when the door burst open again. Henry yanked me to my feet, like I was weightless. Then he started dragging me with as much care as he would a sack of potatoes. I tried to take as much in as I could. The crisp air of dawn serving to awaken me a bit better. I didn't bother asking him where we were going to. I knew I wouldn't get a freaking answer.

A door loomed close and he opened it with a bang. I looked inside, afraid of what I might find. My eyes didn't take long to find Jimmy's. The grey orbs went wide as saucers just before taking a watery quality to them. Then, as Henry roughly pushed me inside the room, he started struggling, his eyes blazing and shooting daggers at our captor's form.

Henry very unceremoniously dumped me at Jimmy's feet. I dragged myself to my brother and hugged him. I felt him sag into me. I was so relieved he was still alive. I had been too afraid of asking Henry where he was. I was afraid he might tell me Jimmy was dead.

But Henry didn't allow me to rejoice in that knowledge; instead he came and ripped me off of Jimmy.

"You are two of the most stubborn people I ever met. And that's not nice. You see, I have a plan, a life to live, and I'm not gonna let you two ruin that," he said with such venom I felt fear running up and down my spine.

He turned to me, with a look that I didn't like. It was that sickening glee, the same look Wakefield gave me as he tried to kill me. I started shaking. Henry moved around the room as I took it in, trying to find a weapon of some kind. I saw his boarding knife glinting near the door.

Ever so slowly I tried to inch closer to it, but he was faster in preparing whatever it was he had in mind.

As he got closer, the brightness of the flame he had lit suddenly caught my eye. I shrank away from it and tightly shut my eyes, not before I saw Henry smile. I kept them closed until the fear of not knowing what he was going to do become too damn much for me to bear. When I did open my eyes, I wish I hadn't. Better yet, I wished I could have the damn boarding knife in my hands.

Henry had just pulled Jimmy to his feet. He had a long piece of metal in his right hand, while his left was pulling Jimmy's shirt up. He turned to look at me, cold brown clashing with tortured green.

"You haven't changed your mind yet have you, Jamie?" He said, apparent delight crossing his features. He was gonna torture Jimmy. Oh god!

Before I even had time to open my mouth he pushed the metal against my brother's skin. A loud shrill cry erupted somewhere in the room and it took me a while to understand I was the one screaming. I got up just as Henry pulled the iron away from Jimmy.

If I didn't felt enough hate for Henry already, that moment, when I again was forced to witness him hurting someone I loved, did it. I looked at him and remembered something that happened a few hours ago.

_Pain, the likes I never felt before, flooded my senses. I would've gladly pass out, but Henry never seemed to cross that line, almost like he had a freaking radar. I whispered something, a mantra I had found a couple of cuts ago. _

"_No, Jamie, you wouldn't do that. You don't have it in you. You were built to save lives, not to end them, you're too… innocent for that," he said, mocking me._

Now I knew I was capable of doing what **he** enjoyed the most. Now I knew I would exactly what I had said earlier. Now I could kill Henry, if I had the chance. And for the first time in my life I **wanted** that chance like I never wanted anything before.

"You're not talking yet? Very well. You know, I thought you'd at least talk for Jimmy's sake, if not for your own. Guess not."

He repeated the gesture, burning Jimmy's skin. I was screaming again, crying too, and begging him to stop. I couldn't just stand here and watch but I couldn't take Henry on, not right now, I could barely stand on my own two feet. Damn it! Think all I had to do was think of a way to end this. But the more I thought about it the more I realized something. There was no scenario that could see me through this nightmare. In every one that played in my mind there was always at least two certain casualties: me and Henry. Because of one thing I was certain, if I was going to die, Henry Dunn would too.

Then the unexpected happen. The door burst open and a very startled Abby came in. Her eyes were wild, going from Henry, who was still burning Jimmy, to my brother and then to me. The emotions on her face were was wild as her eyes. Astonishment, confusion, hurt, fear, and a myriad of others too fast for me to keep track of.

Henry dropped the iron and lost his grip on Jimmy and hurried to drag Abby away, locking the door behind him.

As soon as Abby's cries disappeared in the distance I rushed to Jimmy's side, hugging him, mindful of his injured skin. I wrestled with the gag thanks to my shaking hands and went to peek behind his back to see what Henry had used to bind his arms, since the first step of any plan would be to free Jimmy.

As soon as the gag came off Jimmy rushed out, "Jamie, are you okay? What did he do to you? He told me… He said he had killed you!" I saw the handcuffs and return to my spot in front of my brother. I could see the pain the last statement caused and hugged him again, unable to speak. I knew exactly what he had felt. I opened my mouth, about to tell him everything when a sudden thought stopped me. If I told Jimmy everything that Henry had put me through, he would never agree with my plan, and I would have enough problems with it as it was, so I closed it again, choosing to stand up, unable to look into his tortured eyes.

At the same time I could feel the pain diminish as I now had a clear purpose where I in the past hours had been barely surviving. I could feel that rush of adrenaline pushing me forward; I could feel a little like myself again and that felt good.

"What does he want with you?" He questioned.

Once again the image of Henry pouncing on Sully invaded my mind. I shivered and turned to Jimmy, telling him everything that had happened since the moment me and Sully had left the boathouse. When I got to the part about Henry's true father and his love for Abby my brother hit the roof, he seemed so mad; he actually scared me a little. When I got to the part of Henry trying to get me to talk, I downplayed the whole thing.

"He smacked me around a bit, nothing too much."

"You're lying."

"No," I quickly answered.

"Yes you are, which can only mean he really hurt you," he growled darkly, then fell silent. "Why won't you tell me?" Then his eyes almost bulged right out of their sockets. "Did he…did he forced himself on you or something?"

I shuddered at the very thought and quickly shook my head and verbally reassured him that that idea didn't even cross Henry's delusional mind. Not with me at least, but **that **I didn't tell him.

After that I helped him sat down and sat next to him, simply looking at him, studying his features, more like memorizing them. I knew that once Henry returned, it would be the end for me. I felt the tears again, but I tried to push them down, or I wouldn't be able to tell him my plan. If I could make it work that is. I still had to find a way to get Jimmy out of those wretched handcuffs.

"I'm sorry," I blurted; I had to get this off of my chest. "I didn't know this is what he would do to you. When he returns I'm gonna tell him everything. I just can't stand to see him hurt you," I finished in a small voice, dangerously close to tears.

"No. Are you nuts? If you talk, he'll kill you! You can't do that, Jamie. We'll find a way. **I'll** find a way, I promise," he said with a hint of desperation on his voice.

I shook my head, "There is no other way. I'm not gonna let him keep doing this to you, Jimmy. I can't. But don't worry, I have a plan."

"What kind of a plan?"

I then got up and went in search of something that I could use to open the lock of the handcuffs. After a lot of digging I finally found a small hook and would've cried out in happiness if I hadn't seen Henry coming back. I ran to Jimmy's side and got the hook on his hand, whispering at fast as I could, "When we leave, use this to open the cuffs, get Abby and get help. Okay?"

He closed his hand over the little hook, but I could see by the look on his face he didn't like my plan all that much. He opened his mouth but the door opened before he could voice any objection to my plan.

When Henry got in he had a scowl on his face. Without really saying anything, just mumbling pretty incoherently, he moved inside, locking the door behind him and went to pick the iron from the floor. I grabbed his hand and he turned his angry eyes in my direction.

"You don't need to use that anymore," I hung my head and prayed that my lying skills had somehow improved. "I'll tell you what you want to know, just… just don't hurt him anymore," I was about to look up, into Henry's eyes, when I suddenly remembered something he had told me. _'__Your eyes don't lie. They gave you away.__'_

I stopped, suddenly terrified with the prospect that he could see my lie clear in my eyes and hurt Jimmy again. I felt his hand touch my chin and completely froze. I wouldn't be able to fool, him what was I thinking? Then I heard Jimmy growl and snapped out of it. I had a plan and a goal and I would be damned if I let my insecurities ruin that.

So I looked at him in the eye and allowed that monster to try and see something. He didn't let the iron go, but instead he said, "So, what are you waiting for? Tell me where Sully is."

"No."

He slapped me and grabbed me by my hair. "Are you trying to piss me off even more, Jamie? Cause let me tell you, I'm not in the best of moods right now, so…"

"No."

"Jamie…" My brother said in a cautionary tone.

"I won't **tell **you where Sully is. But I'll show you," I said as firmly as I could.

He pulled my hair even tighter, so much so I felt a couple of strands being ripped from my scalp. I winced in pain.

"You **are** trying to piss me off. But I'll humor you this time. Why?" His voice was ice cold.

My words got stuck in the big lump in my throat. "I… I want to say goodbye to Sully. You gotta give me at least that," I said, already dying on the inside knowing I wouldn't get to do that, that I wouldn't get to see his face, or kiss his lips, or look in his eyes, or nothing.

He thought for a few moments and then nodded curtly, already with a big smile on his face that made me sick to my stomach, just by knowing it had been me that put it there. But I took a relieved breath when he turned his back on me and Jimmy. That's until I saw where he was going. He still lighted the fire and he still allowed the flames to lick the metal of the iron. I felt sick again, taking a full step back and away from that.

"I said I will show you, why are you doing that for?" I shrieked, starting to freak out again.

Henry didn't say anything, simply smiled and put the flames out. When he turned to us, I put myself between him and Jimmy, determined not to let him hurt my big brother anymore. I could feel Jimmy tense behind me and whisper, over and over again, for me to "Get out of the way."

But Henry didn't make any move to get past me, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't even looking at Jimmy, he was looking me dead in the eyes. I felt a shiver of fear and it only got worse when he said, "You see, Jamie, you weren't the only one being stubborn. Your brother too has been adamantly refusing to do something for me. So now, seeing how my method worked so well with you, I'll see if works on Jimmy as well."

Before I could even try and defend myself Henry had already pushed me against the wall in front of Jimmy, lifted my jacket and shirt and pushed the hot iron into my skin. I screamed, like I've never screamed in my life. Nothing I've ever felt compare to that, not all the kicks and slaps and cuts could compare to the searing hot heat burning my stomach. My entire world was consumed until nothing was left except the pain. It filled my senses, flooded my nerves and pretty much burned all the strength I had left.

When I finally opened my eyes the world was spinning, fast. The voices around me they were coming as if from a very faraway place. Instead of trying to get up I stayed down, and closed my eyes, as my breathing returned to normal, which was a daunting task, giving the fact I was almost certain I had, if not broken, at least one cracked rib.

"I'm gonna kill you, you son of bitch!" Someone I determined to be Jimmy bellowed.

"Will you sign the confession, or do I have to have a round two with your sister?" Was the sick reply.

"I'll sign it," Jimmy growled.

I was starting to hear more clearly now.

"Good."

"But I have a condition."

"You too? What is it with you Mance siblings? Do you both want to see how long you can stretch the rope before it breaks? Is that it?"

"I want to say goodbye to Abby."

"No," was Henry's terse reply.

"I won't sign the damn thing until I do."

"Then I guess Jamie here will be the one to suffer," he said, touching me with his foot.

"I'm tied up! What exactly can I do? Please, Henry."

I hated to hear the pleading in Jimmy's voice, but at that precise moment, I was rethinking the plan, to see whether this new development was going to help or hinder it.

"Fine. But remember, if you try anything funny Jamie will pay the price, alright?" Henry said threateningly. He knelt down beside me and roughly handcuffed me again. Whispering in my, "Last time Abby caught me by surprise, but now I won't take any chances. Oh, and don't worry, as soon as your brother signs the confession you and I will be going on a little field trip."

As soon as he left I dragged myself towards Jimmy. "Can you open the handcuffs?"

He didn't answer immediately, already working furiously on them.

"Damn it! I dropped the hook!"

"What?" I looked frantically around for the damned thing, but when I tried to double over the cloth of my shirt rubbed the burn wound in my stomach and I hissed in pain, momentarily blinded by it. Jimmy's concerned voice reached from where he towered over me, but it took me a while to make any sense of what he was saying.

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

I finally started looking for the hook, groping the ground around Jimmy's feet. When the little thing was safe within my grasp the door opened and I froze, gripping the thing as tight as I could. Henry got in first. He looked very calm, very like the old Henry, with Abby just behind him. She walked in almost fearfully. She looked at Jimmy, her eyes taking in a sorrowful look.

"Say goodbye," Henry whispered, "Abby…" He coaxed when she didn't move inmediately.

She then walked to my brother, slowly. Once again I felt like I was intruding in a very private moment, but this time there was no place I could go. I was dragging myself to the wall when she crouched down and, whispering to me, "I'm sorry," helped me into a sitting position against the wall. Looking over her shoulder I saw the annoyed look on Henry's face.

She quickly rose and went to my brother, stopping right in front of him. Instead of looking up I kept looking at Henry, seeing the emotions being displayed in his face as clear as if in a book.

"I'm sorry I left. I thought about calling you every day," she slowly caressed Jimmy's face, which still remained silent.

Anger was burning on his Henry's eyes, which no sooner turned into pure rage. I looked up to see what Abby was doing and I saw them in an intense lip lock. I tried to warn them, but Henry was faster and in a swift motion he ripped Abby from Jimmy by her hair. "That's enough!"

The first words that spilled from Abby's lips were, "I love him. I love HIM!"

Furious Henry slapped her. She fell to the floor, crying softly, while he acted like a bit of a crazy person, saying, "Ah, I shouldn't have done that. Ah… c'mon let's-"

He was cut off by my brother's cry of outrage. "Get the hell away from her!"

In the split second Henry lost looking at Jimmy, Abby grabbed what looked like a screwdriver and stabbed Henry's foot with it, taking the opportunity to ran away.

Henry screamed with pain and, after taking the screwdriver out of his foot, taking after her, screaming her name, with his boarding knife in hand. I felt a shiver of fear and started to work furiously to open the cuffs.

"I'm almost done, Jimmy."

He didn't answer, so I looked up and saw him do the exact same thing. But where had the hook come from? When I asked, he answered in one simple word. "Abby."

I forgo wanting the answers for the time being, knowing they didn't matter right now. Jimmy managed to get free first and he came to help me.

"Go, go, go!" I said as soon as my wrists were free.

Once in the outside all we had to do was follow the shouting. It grew intense, like the pain, but I shoved the latter to the back of my mind, knowing we had to find Abby and Henry, taking advantage of this. We would be doomed if we didn't, we wouldn't get a second chance.

Some woodened steps loomed in the distance and as the voices form above reached us we ran faster, Jimmy in the lead. As I reached the last step I heard Abby shout, "I DON'T WANT YOU! No."

Next thing I know my brother, my idiotically heroic brother, tackled Henry over the edge of the cliff. I ran there, afraid of what I would find, but just like what happened at the bluffs, when we were looking for Trish, we couldn't see the bottom of the cliff. There were too many ledges on the way.

"Damn it! When I find Jimmy, I'm gonna kill him!"

Abby gave me a small smile and then we ran down the stairs and around towards a small path that leads to the bottom of the cliff. We came upon a small pebbled bay. I scanned the bay and soon found Jimmy, just laying there. I ran there, afraid. Abby kneeled on his other side asking, "Jimmy? Jimmy? Are you okay?"

I checked his pulse as he opened his eyes, looking from Abby to me and then back again, before settling on Abby. "No," he rasped out and I cried in happiness of hearing him talk. Suddenly feeling very tired I pretty much collapsed by his side, closing my eyes.

However a disturbance happened soon after and I opened my eyes to see a horrific scenario. Abby was holding the boarding knife against Henry, that was falling to his knees, with a look of complete surprise and hurt on his face, whispering, "Abby? But… I love you."

Abby too, completely horrified with what had just happened was sinking to the ground. I rounded my brother until I was beside my friend, embracing her as Henry drew his last breath in this world and, with a final sigh, died.

I felt Abby's tears soak my neck. I hugged her as sobs racked her body. All I could do was stand there, kneeled in the rocks and pebbles and look at Henry's dead body. I felt a relief so acute it numbed every other feeling for a while. Eventually a moan of Jimmy cut through both our dazes and infused us with movement. Abby went immediately to my brother's side and helped him get on his feet, resolutely turning her back on the body. I was still rooted on the spot. Not in grief or horror, but uncertainty.

"Jamie?" I heard her ask behind me. I turned to her and saw her half carrying Jimmy.

I looked at the body, then at her. I saw her pale as she followed my gaze. "I need to be sure," I whispered.

So I walked slowly towards his body. The fear returned in spades, making me shake incessantly. I crouched and looked for a pulse. I had done this so many times already. In each of those times I wished to find something, here I feared it. There was nothing, however. I checked more than once in more than one place, I even held my hand to his mouth, but no breeze hit it. Henry Dunn was truly dead. The nightmare was finally over.

* * *

I couldn't sit still. The blanket the nice officer from the coast guard had given me, laid now forgotten on the floor of the boat that was set to take us out of this wretched island. My brother and best friend sat there, looking worriedly in my direction, speaking in hushed tones. I could guess what they were saying, but I did my best to ignore the voice in my head that fought to agree with them.

After getting far away from the body we went into the house, looking for a radio. Founding none we get on the car and drove towards the one place we hoped still had a functioning radio: the boathouse. To say the coast guard was surprised we were still alive was an understatement. When I inquired as to why it was so, they explained to me how the FBI had taken charge of the investigation and had found several bodies and remains in the burn church, three of which were Henry, Abby and Jimmy's. I was left speechless at that. He really thought about everything, didn't he?

I recovered quickly and told him that there was still one survivor left in Kelly's old house. I gave him directions and he said for us to go straight to the marina and wait there for us, since they didn't want a repeat of last time. We wholeheartedly agreed then, Abby more so than me. But now, that we were here, simply waiting for the remaining agents to bring Sully to the boat, my heart was being viciously squeezed in its ribcage. Terrible images and thoughts were haunting, especially one voice that sounded so much like Henry it hurt.

But finally I saw them. One strong agent was taking the lead, while the other two carried a person between them. His golden hair caught a beam of sunlight and shone; his blue eyes looked tired, even from the distance, and were frantically moving between the agents until they caught mine. I wept in happiness and started walking towards them, everything else forgotten.

He was struggling with the agents helping him as well, but they held firmly until I was at arm's reach, before letting go of him. I understood why, since on the one or two steps necessary to reach me he swayed like a drunken sailor in the middle of a storm.

But all those thoughts completely evaporated when I held him in my arms, when I felt his ragged breathing in my neck, when I kissed him with fervor. Now I could say the nightmare was truly over.

Just then he pulled away from me, resting his forehead against mine, his baby blue eyes boring into mine, whispering, "I love you Jamie."

"I love you too, Sully."

He smiled and then whispered something else, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Right after saying that, he collapsed to the floor. "Sully? Sully? SULLY?"

**The End… For now **

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So, what do you think? Drop me a line one last time in this story, will ya ;)

**Author's note: **The story is finally over. I'm already thinking about the sequel, and I promise it will be posted as soon as the first chapter is finished. This is the first story that is completely finished, althought there are still a few mistakes that will be corrected in due time, the important stuff is finished.

I owe all of my reviewers a HUGE thank you. Rebecca takes an even bigger one for being a faithfull reviewer in EVERY chapter and for cheering me on all the way till this moment. Courtney too, reviewed almost all of them and is worthy of a special thank you for all the encouragement she gave me. Shannon012495, Jo Harv and RWolfe94 reviewed many chapters as well and I will never forget their kind words. To bogvampire21, Child of a Pineapple, LaPush'sSheWolf, Samxo15, Stoner Guru Ron Slater, Vanilla Sunset In The Sky, Cassie, THANK YOU!

Also I would like to thank everyone that add this story to their alerts and favorites, it warms my heart.

Now is time to say goodbye, not before inviting all of my reviewers and the rest of this comunity to check out the sequel and acompany me and the characters we all love and care for in the nest step of their lives. Goddbye and THANK YOU, again, lol :D:D:D:D

Lilacc :)


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